


Hybrid Theory

by jessie_cristo



Series: Fic Challenges [12]
Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - High School, Anal, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Bottom Jared, Bottom Jensen, Bullying, Consensual Kink, Discrimination, Dubious Consent, First Time, Heat/rut, Hybrids, Knotting, M/M, Mating, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mating Cycles/In Rut, Netflix and Chill, Possessive Behavior, Prostitution, Rough Sex, SPN A/B/O Bingo, Sex Toys, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Spin the Bottle, Strip Poker, Top Jared, Top Jensen, Truth or Dare, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-07
Updated: 2018-12-17
Packaged: 2019-07-27 09:48:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 25
Words: 49,343
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16216517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jessie_cristo/pseuds/jessie_cristo
Summary: Jared and Jensen meet for the first time. Not in a shower of sparks and instant attraction but in a cloud of dust with the smell of burning rubber and screaming tires. It may be love at first sight for Jared, but that sure isn’t the case for Jensen.You see, Jensen is a Hybrid Were. He and his kind have the same senses, strength and instincts as the normal genders -Alpha, Beta and Omega- but Hybrids aren’t ruled by their biology because their link to Luna is not as unyielding. As a result of that, Hybrids can’t shift and the males can’t bear children.Jensen also comes from a family that despises Alphas. He was raised to never trust them, to never befriend them and to never, EVER have sexual relations with them.





	1. HIGH SCHOOL AU

**Author's Note:**

> This is my entry for the SPN ABO Bingo fic challenge. I'm hoping to get this done this month but I'm hoping y'all will be patient w/ me once again as I work to do the best I can. I'm hoping it'll all be worth it for you.
> 
> Mucho thanks and heartfelt love and appreciation for my betas, who are also my inspirations at times, Cynthia & Judi. You don't know how invaluable you are to me and not just cos of the fics. xoxo

_"And now for a lesson in rhythm management.  
Let's begin..."_  
\--"Cure for the Itch" Linkin Park--

The day dawned bright and beautiful for Jared’s first day of high school. Over the summer, he’d finally presented as Alpha, as he and everyone who cared for him had hoped for, and he’d since shot up in height and weight.

He could now admit that he’d been worried he’d never present, and up until he woke up during the first week of summer with a high fever and a knot on his dick, he’d even convinced himself that he’d be happy to present as anything, even an Omega, as long as he presented.

Not that he had anything against Omegas, his best friend Chad was an Omega, after all. Chad had presented at twelve, like most normal wolves, and Jared had been envious. But watching his friend deal with heats, birth control, and suppressants...Jared dreaded having to do the same. He was willing to as long as he didn’t end up a ‘hybrid’ – a wolf that never presented and is unable to shift into wolf form, stuck in human form the entirety of their life.

Jared remembered the thrilling and wondrous night he’d shifted for the first time. His parents, his brother, and a couple of first cousins had escorted him into the nearby forest preserve to teach him how to control his new body and the heightened senses. They taught him how to hunt and eat his catch raw. They’d even taken him swimming, because even if he knew how to swim in human form it was entirely different in wolf form.

Hybrids – or Brids - had the heightened senses and strength of a regular wolf, but didn’t have enough of the wolf genes to shift or to change into one of the three gender classifications of wolves. Unlike humans, werewolves weren’t distinguished by being male or female. To werewolves, being male or female was a classification of sex, not gender. Yes, to humans gender and sex was the same thing, but in the wolf world, gender was classified by whether a wolf was an Alpha, Beta, or Omega.

Generally, hybrids weren’t discriminated against, but because of wolves innate instinct to shift and connect with their inner wolves and always being unable to, hybrids have been known to be slightly off-center and often irascible and high-strung. Then, there were the Traditionalists – or Trads – who saw Brids as nothing more than mutts. They openly scorned and discriminated against Brids and were the number one cause for crimes against them.

Jared’s family was openly supportive of Brids, and had many Brid friends who were like Aunts and Uncles to Jared and his siblings. So Jared had never shared with his parents or siblings how he’d dreaded being a Brid.

When Jared hadn’t presented at twelve, he’d been told to be patient. When he passed thirteen with no change, he was told he was probably just a late bloomer. When he’d hit fourteen, his parents had begun extolling the benefits of being a Brid and Jared began losing hope. No one he knew had ever heard of anyone presenting after fifteen years of age. So when Jared had turned fifteen at the beginning of this past summer, he’d begun to resign himself to a life as a Brid until he’d woken up that one fateful morning.

He’d amused his parents and sister when he’d run around the house at 7 in the morning shouting with excitement, but his older, already Alpha brother, had merely slammed his bedroom door shut and went back to bed.

Toward the end of summer, his brother was further irritated when Jared broadened and shot up 4 inches to match his brother’s six foot height. Jared was also broader in the shoulders, even if the rest of his body was still lean and lanky.

Their parents had assured them that they’d both probably grow a couple more inches since they were both still young. Jeff was already nineteen and preparing for college, going to the University of Texas. He made it a point on nearly a daily basis to remind Jared that despite his height, that Jared was still the ‘little’ brother.

The one thing about their height that they both agreed on was how much of a bother their aching bones were. Their little sister Megan often laughed at their grumbles and groans every morning when they were having breakfast together. Their mother usually joined her in teasing them, but their 6’3” father would always commiserate with them, remembering what it had been like when he’d gone through the same thing in his teens.

By midmorning, the aches and pains usually abated and they went on like normal for the rest of the day. Jared’s joy of finally being an Alpha and not having to worry anymore tempered his pain and he could usually keep his perpetually sunny disposition. Even when the aunts and uncles who were so sure he’d be an Omega would tease him.

Hands tucked into the front pocket of his favorite red hoodie, earbuds pumping his favorite Pearl Jam album into his head, Jared was a moment away from skipping like a third grader. Everything looked bright and promising and he felt as if his life was finally on track. Nothing could bring him down.

That is until Jensen ‘fucking’ Ackles nearly ran him down on the street.

He’d been exiting his street and crossing Singer Avenue which would then be a straight, slightly uphill trek to Robert Singer Memorial High, when he’d spotted a flash of bright red out of the corner of his eye.

Because of the stiffness of his aching bones, Jared was nearly too slow to jump out of the way as a shiny, apple red Trans Am came barreling at him from his right. With a strangled shout and an ungainly lunge, Jared dove for the safety of the sidewalk that was still a good five feet away.

His sneakered foot caught on the edge of the curb and he ended up flying face-first towards the concrete hardness of the walkway, his hands coming up just in time to prevent his face from smashing directly into the concrete, but his heavy backpack, slung over one shoulder, flew up his back to hit the back of his head, forcing his forehead to rap once against the concrete of the sidewalk - bolts of pain shooting throughout his body and causing his vision to darken as he felt himself on the verge of passing out.

The sound of screeching tires filled the air as the car swerved, then braked hard, coming to a stop a couple feet away from Jared. The powerful car sat slightly askew, still in the right-hand lane but with its nose slightly angled towards the sidewalk.

Lying on his stomach on the sidewalk, Jared groaned as his already aching body sent out pulses of new pain from scraped hands and elbows and what felt like the shin of one of his legs. A group of schoolgirls who’d been further up the street turned and ran back to him with shouts of concern. A few of them yelling recriminations at the driver of the Trans Am.

Jared groaned loudly, flopping onto his back. He held his hands stiffly to his chest, trying to overcome the pain that wracked his body.

“Oh my God, are you okay?!” shouted a petite brunette who ran to his side and dropped to her knees beside him. She was wearing a pink, off the shoulder tee, black jeans, and white sandals on her tiny feet. Her toenails were painted a pink that matched her shirt perfectly.

Why Jared was noticing these details was beyond him, but when he met the big, brown eyes of Sandy McCoy, head cheerleader and the most popular girl at Singer High, Jared gaped in astonishment as she began cooing in dismay at his injuries.

Like any other teenaged boy dealing with surging hormones, Jared had noticed Sandy on his very first day of school and had entertained a few daydreams about knotting her. Her being a Beta and he an Alpha didn’t do him any favors either, and he’d found himself on a few occasions having to will away embarrassing hard-ons.

Sophia, another petite brunette that Jared knew to be Sandy’s friend, came to kneel by Jared’s other side, also gasping and murmuring concern over his injuries.

Jared could now see that the other two girls that made up Sandy’s inner circle. Blonde Alona and raven-haired Rachel, were standing at the passenger side of the red car and berating whoever the driver was. Jared heard the driver’s side door of the car opening, but was distracted when Sandy leaned in to take one of his hands into her smaller ones, tsk’ing at the deep scrapes on the palms of his hands.

“There’s so much blood! Are you okay? Your head is bleeding!”

“Can you speak?” asked Sophia, drawing his attention to her. The blood from his head wound, still numb from the impact, could be felt trickling down the side of his head.

Before he could reply, Alona’s and Rachel’s voices grew louder as they rushed to follow the driver, scolding him as the guy made his way to where Jared, Sandy, and Sophia were crouched on the sidewalk.

“You still alive, kid? That was a bad fall,” the guy said, as he came to a stop at Sandy’s side. “Oh shit, you’re really hurt! I’ll call an ambulance.”

“N-nO! No ambulance!” Jared shouted, finally finding his voice. The guy now held his phone awkwardly as he looked back down at Jared, uncertainty plain on his handsome face. Not just handsome, but downright gorgeous, now that Jared could see and take in his features. Light brown hair that lightened even more at the tips, gelled into a spiky style that not only suited the guy, but also emphasized the perfect shape of his face. With moss green, thickly lashed eyes, straight nose, and sinfully lush lips, he was the most beautiful thing Jared had ever seen. The fact that he had golden brown freckles dusting the tops of his sculpted cheeks and across the bridge of his nose, just added to his beauty in Jared’s eyes.

Embarrassed at all the attention he was getting, as he could now hear more kids heading their way with voices raised in question and concern, Jared struggled to sit up. The two girls rushed to help him, Sandy protesting mildly that maybe he shouldn’t move.

“JARED!” shouted a familiar voice, and then Chad was there, dropping to his knees beside Sophia. “What the fuck happened?!”

“Jensen nearly ran him over!” Alona shouted back, shooting daggers from her pale blue eyes at the beautiful guy.

“I saw him from far down the road and even honked my horn! Why didn’t you get out of the way?” Jensen grumbled, as he squatted down to take a better look at Jared.

Suddenly, Jensen leaned in towards Jared and took a big sniff. He sneered as he pulled back and his formerly concerned gaze turned cold. “Alpha,” he said, as if the word was something distasteful on his tongue. “Figures. What, were you too good to get out of the way of a car headed straight for you?”

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean, asshole?!” Chad growled, jumping to his feet, even as Jensen shot him a haughty glare. “You think he was trying to get you to hit him?!”

“Wouldn’t put it past him! Was probably just looking for attention.”

What the FUCK?! Jared thought, his initial fascination with the guy waning.

“Fuck YOU, asshole!” Chad screeched. “YOU are the one that nearly mowed him down and now you’re trying to blame it on HIM?!”

“Jensen, don’t!” Sandy growled, while holding up a hand to forestall any more ranting from Chad. “Now is not the time for your Brid nonsense. The kid is hurt. He should go to the Emergency Room.”

Jared cringed at being called a ‘kid’, but was distracted by Jensen as he rolled his eyes and got back to his feet. “Fine. I’ll take him,” he said, sounding bored.

Jared shook his head, then moaned softly as the motion sent shards of pain through his head, the numbness having worn off.

“You’re going!” Chad growled. “I know you hate hospitals, man, but you could have a concussion. I’ll go with you.”

“We can’t both miss school, Chad. Your dad will go ballistic.”

“He’d be even more pissed if I didn’t look after you, Jay. We’re family, man.”

“If we’re gonna go, let’s go already,” Jensen snapped.

Sophia shot him a disgusted look. “You expect him to just jump up and hop in your car?”

“Geezus fuckin’ Christ, Jensen! Help him up!” Rachel snapped, waving her arms jerkily down at Jared.

“No, I’m fi- Woah!” Jared yelped as Jensen, with a massive eye roll, squatted down and scooped up all 6-feet of him before rising easily back to his feet, then turned and headed for his car. Chad snatched up Jared’s bag and cellphone and ran to catch up. He opened the passenger door and clambered into the tiny back seat.

With his arms wrapped loosely around Jensen’s broad shoulders, Jared kept his head down but peeked up at Jensen through his lashes. The older boy’s face was set like stone, lips thinned in displeasure. This close, Jared couldn’t help but notice again how beautiful Jensen was. Taking the opportunity of how close he was being held, Jared brought his face closer to Jensen’s neck and surreptitiously sniffed him.

_Fresh meadows, imminent rain, leather and something sweet._

Jared’s eyes rolled slightly as Jensen’s scent flooded his senses, and his inner wolf surged to the fore in his mind. Jared automatically held him back, used to controlling his impulsive wolf for most of his life.

“Did you just fuckin’ scent me?!” Jensen paused at the side of his car, his head angled to stare down at Jared. Indignation and fury twisting his features, bright green eyes snapping with rage.

_Oh fuck._


	2. JENSEN/JARED

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's a pretty long chapter.  
> However, because of the challenge, chapters won't be consistent on word counts.  
> Where I can keep it short to under 500 words I will as long as it doesn't detract from the overall story.

_"I've tried like you  
To do everything you wanted to  
This is the last time  
I'll take the blame for the sake of being with you"_  
\--"Pushing Me Away" Linkin Park--

Two days later at school, Jensen sat in Principal Singer’s (Yes, THAT Singer) office, bracing for more unpleasantness coming his way. His own parents sat stiff and straight in their chairs, refusing to even acknowledge the Padaleckis or Jared, who was looking pale and vulnerable, staring down at the pristine looking cast that wrapped around his foot and went up to just below a bruised and blood-scabbed knee.

Jensen squashed the feelings of sympathy for the young Alpha knowing he would probably just go out and start milking the student body for sympathy the moment they were free from this office.

He certainly wasn’t going to continue feeling guilty for something that wasn’t entirely his fault. He already apologized to Jared and Jared’s parents, and Jensen’s own parents had ensured that Jared’s hospital visit and treatment were all paid for. Jensen didn’t see why Singer felt the need to call an emergency meeting with all of them now.

“Why did you call us in here, Mr. Singer?” Jensen’s dad finally broke the silence. The man obviously just as unhappy as Jensen was at having to be there at 8 in the morning. “Can we get this moving? I have a job to get to.”

“This obviously has something to do with our children, Alan. I’m sure your fancy office can do without you for a little while.” Jared’s mom snapped, Jensen’s brows popping upwards in surprise. She’d seemed like such a mouse of a woman when they’d all arrived and walked in together.

To his further surprise, Jensen’s usually cool and collected mother, sneered as she leaned around Alan to give Gerald, Jared’s dad, a scathing look before looking at Sharon with contempt. “At least he has a job to go to Sherri, which is more than your own husband can say.”

“How DARE you?! It’s not Gerry’s fault that the factory, YOUR factory decided to modernize and deem his position unnecessary! To say that HE was unnecessary! Despite our differences he gave your family the best years of his life, sacrificing so much time with his own family, and with nothing to show for it but a measly severance check. He was loyal and hardworking and you stabbed him in the back!”

“Ladies....” Principal Singer tried to intervene, and Jensen considered telling him not to bother; when his Mama got that look in her eyes, there was just no stopping her.

Even his own father knew to just lay a calming hand on her arm, but not to try and stifle her words.

“Well, he worked the same position all that time without even trying for a promotion or to at least move laterally to a more key position. You have to be dense to not know that eventually technological advances would change things. And DIFFERENCES?! You make it sound like we disagreed on a political standpoint when what really happened is that you, my former best friend, stole my fiancee from under my nose!”

“I didn’t STEAL him you unbelievable bitch, he was my SOULMATE! You know there’s no controlling or stopping that. Besides, if you and Gerry had married you never would’ve found Alan, your own soulmate!”

“That’s besides the point! You were my best friend and YOU did some backstabbing first, you conniving little whore! I wouldn’t be surprised if your son didn’t throw himself in front of my Jensen’s car in hopes of getting some money out of us!”

All the adults shot to their feet and began yelling at the top of their lungs. The door to Singer’s office suddenly slammed open and a very irate looking Senior Counselor Samantha Ferris stormed into the room. She took a look at Jared’s pale and shaking form and then took in what Jensen thought was an equally shocked look on his own face, then stuck two fingers in her mouth and let out a piercing whistle that made everyone flinch and stop what they were doing or saying.

Jensen could see the secretary, two teachers and one of his classmates in the outer office trying to peer in and get a look at the chaos going down in Singer’s office.

Alan and Gerald were standing toe-to-toe with their wives at their sides staring daggers at each other. Singer was stood behind his desk, face sweating and beet red with exertion and frustration.

Jensen looked at Jared, the incredulity and shock he was feeling mirrored on the young Alpha’s face.

Jensen had always known that their families didn’t get along and that it had something to do with their past, but he never would’ve imagined it was something like this! His Hybrid mother used to date Alpha Gerald?! Impossible! But then again, it would explain a lot of the antipathy he’d been raised to have against all Alphas. His mother had always been more adamant about it than his father.

“What in the world is going on in here?!” she growled even as she slammed the door behind her. “I’m late to this meeting TEN minutes and all hell breaks loose?”

She took in the way Sherri and Donna were glaring at each other then rolled her eyes. “Never mind, I can guess. Same old song and dance, you two?” Sherri and Donna turned with equal looks of disgruntlement. “I figured. Look, you two’s issues got old and tiresome back when we were all students here ourselves and it’s still a bore today! Get over it already and act like the adults you’re all supposed to be. We’re supposed to be here discussing your children, not ancient-goddamn-history. NOW SIT! ALL OF YOU!”

“What do you mean our kids?” asked Alan, as he sank back onto his chair, Donna huffily retaking hers beside him. “Our kids have nothing to do with each other.”

Counselor Ferris wove her way around Sherri’s chair to take up a stance beside the now seated Principal Singer. “As you know, due to some reckless driving on Jensen’s part, Jared ended up getting seriously hurt. He has some stress fractures to his ankle and foot from when he tried to get out of the way to avoid getting hit.”

Jensen frowned down at Jared’s cast. He hadn’t known the kid had incurred that much injury. After Jared’s mother had shown up at the hospital, Jensen had left as quickly as he could, having already been told by a nurse that Jared was being looked after. The guilt he thought he’d squashed flared anew inside him.

Donna frowned and opened her mouth to speak, but Sherri cut her off. “Don’t say it, Donna. Say my son manipulated the whole thing again and I don’t care if you have me arrested I will knock your teeth down your throat!”

Donna closed her mouth but shot Sherri a contemptuous glare.

“Because of your son’s reckless actions…” Ferris continued, choosing to ignore the two mothers. “Jared will have a lengthy recovery time, even with enhanced healing. The doctor said it will take as long as two to three weeks to completely heal. In the meantime, Jared would like to continue coming to school instead of staying home and having his lessons brought to him.”

Sherri nodded, disapproval plain on her face, but understanding her son’s aversion to being cooped up and treated like an invalid all the time.

“Mr. and Mrs. Padalecki agreed to not press charges at this time dependent on your decisions here today.” Singer took over. “I’ve considered revoking Jensen’s vehicle pass for the rest of the year, which would prevent him from driving it to school, and adding him to the On-Campus Detention classes.”

Jensen gaped in shock. This was so unfair! This was his Senior year. His last year to live it up with his friends and classmates. He just made Varsity on the basketball team and being an On-Campus detainee would make him ineligible to play. It would also put a blight on his record and could possibly ruin his chances with some of the colleges he’d applied for.

“That’s not fair!” he growled. “It was an honest accident, I wasn’t trying to hit him!”

“We know that, Jensen, that’s why we thought up something else.” added Ferris, cutting off what was bound to be an irate outburst from Donna Ackles.

“Well, now see here.” Gerald cut in, voice deep and rumbling. “I’ve seen Jensen growing up and though I don’t know him personally I’ve always gotten the impression that he was a good boy. That seems a little harsh on him, especially when Jared has admitted that the accident was partly his fault as well.” Sherri looked surprised at her husband sticking up for Jensen. But then she blinked, then nodded her head in agreement.

Alan shot Gerald a speculative look even as Jensen’s gaze shot to Jared. He didn’t know that Jared had spoken up and taken part of the blame. He frowned in confusion even as the younger boy shifted in his seat, self-consciously.

“So what did you have in mind?” Alan asked, turning his attention back to Ferris and Singer.

“Penance. Or more like community service.”

All eyes, except for Singer’s, were now trained on the head counselor. The Padaleckis and the Ackles all wearing the same look of confusion.

“I’ve looked over their schedules for this year and noted that because of Jared’s higher scholastic levels he shares almost half of the same classes as Jensen. The rest of their classes are quite near to each other physically and they share the same lunch period. So, to make amends and to also fulfill Jared’s wish to return to school, we suggest that Jensen act as Jared’s aid until his cast can come off and he no longer needs the crutches to get around.”

“Also, because walking to school would put too much hardship on Jared, Jensen will also be driving him to and from school.”

“That is ridiculous! That will take up so much of my time! This is my Senior year, I’m supposed to be having fun when I’m not concentrating on my own studies, then I also have basketball practices three days a week. I won’t have time to babysit anyone!”

“Hey! I don’t need a babysitter! I can manage just fine on my own!” Jared shouted, speaking for the first time since they’d gathered in Singer’s office. Two blotches of red riding high on his cheeks as he glared at Jensen.

“You can’t expect our son to be spending all that time with… with an Alpha!” Donna exclaimed. “Alphas are ruled by instincts, everybody knows that! Even a Hybrid like my son won’t be able to resist if the boy decides he wants him. What if he tries to force himself on Jensen?!”

Singer and Ferris looked at the two teens sitting side-by-side. Jensen was rolling his eyes while scoffing contemptuously, and Jared’s face was beet red even as his smaller yet not shorter frame trembled with anxiety.

“I highly doubt that could happen.” Singer said drily, Donna’s face blooming red as well as she realized how ludicrous her statement seemed to everyone in the room.

“Now, Jensen…” Singer continued, turning a hard gaze on the Hybrid teen. “You will have at the most three weeks until Jared is healed enough to go it on his own. What we are offering you is more than generous in comparison to the other options we have considered. You either fall in line and you and Jared try to get along or we start doing things the hard way.”

“Jared, you will also have to go along with this. If you were serious about the accident being partly your fault then you owe it to Jensen to not give us or the police any reason to put a permanent black mark on his record. Yes, the police were notified of the incident, it is standard procedure when it comes to our students even if the accident didn’t happen on school grounds. They have stated that if you two and your parents can’t abide by this solution then they will be stepping in.”

Donna sighed defeatedly but nodded her acceptance, Alan vocally agreed for the both of them. Sherri and Gerald also spoke their approval, even if they also had their doubts.

When all eyes turned to Jared and Jensen, the two teens looked at each other with resignation and a bit of repugnance on Jensen’s part.

In the end, they both nodded their agreement. For the next 2 or 3 weeks, Jared and Jensen would become near inseparable at school.

 

=======================

 

The next day was Friday. Jared stood at the curb in front of his house waiting on Jensen to show up. Leaning against a nearby tree was his older brother, Jeff. Ever since Jared had been hurt, Jeff had been acting weird around him.

Instead of the usual amusement and scorn his older brother treated him with, Jeff had been helpful, solicitous and _kind_ to him. He’d even stayed home with Jared and their little sister Megan when his parents had to go out to dinner with some friends who were in town a couple of nights ago, giving up his habitual Tuesday night b-ball game with his friends at the rec center down the block. Which shocked even his parents. In the past, Jeff would move heaven and earth to never miss a game with his friends.

Jeff had spent an inordinate amount of time torturing Jared over the years, that this new behavior of his was driving Jared up the wall, way more than any other mind game his brother had ever played on him in the past. Even worse than the time when Jared was 8 and Jeff told him that spiders like to climb up through the toilet bowl plumbing and bite scrawny boys’ butts if they stayed on the toilet too long. For weeks, Jared hadn’t been able to have a proper bowel movement because of it. Not until his father caught on to what Jeff was doing, set Jared straight and grounded Jeff.

Just then, Jared saw Jensen’s bright red sports car turning the corner onto his block. Turning back to his stubborn brother, Jared huffed exasperatedly. “There he is. You don’t have to wait around with me anymore. I can handle it from here.”

Jeff just ignored him.

When Jensen pulled up, Jared saw that he had Sandy in the passenger seat with him. Something inside of Jared twisted with disappointment.

Her doe-like sympathetic gaze locked on Jared and she was already cooing with distress before she even climbed out of the car. “Oh Jared, you poor thing! I didn’t even realize you broke your leg!”

“It’s just some small fractures…” he started to say but was cut off when Sandy paused halfway out of the car to reach back and dig her nails into Jensen’s arm, eliciting a squawk of protest from the older boy. “Don’t just sit there, Jenny! Get out and help him in! I’ll squeeze in the back.”

“I’m fine, he doesn’t have to…” Jared began to object, cheeks flaming, but Jensen was already opening the driver’s side door and climbing out of his car.

The frowning boy rounded the front of the car fast and was heading towards Jared, who was internally begging his body not to react when Jensen touched him.

Before Jensen could even get close to Jared, Jeff was suddenly there. Back to Jared, facing Jensen with clenched fists and shoulders tensed.

Jared tried to push at Jeff and step around him, but his big brother reached back to hold him in place as he continued to stare challengingly at Jensen. “Wait, Jared. I need to have a word with Ackles.”

Even if he was an Alpha too, Jeff was older and there was an instinctive reaction all young weres had to respect older Alphas.

Sure, he can snark and argue with his brother as much as he dared at home, but he has never disrespected his brother in public or in front of strangers, so Jared stopped where he was.

“Just don’t hurt him.” he said softly, a slight growl in his voice.

Jeff turned to stare at him with a look of mild shock. Jared blinked back in confusion. He didn’t know where that growl came from. He shrugged at the questioning brow his brother raised, so Jeff rolled his eyes slightly then turned back to face Jensen and Sandy, who had gone to stand by Jensen’s side in a show of support for her friend.

_Boyfriend?_

Jared wasn’t sure why he even cared.

“Everybody, even Jared here, says that what happened between you two was an accident. He even tried to take part of the blame. But I’m not buying it, Ackles.”

“What’re you trying to say, Jeff? That I deliberately tried to run down your brat of a brother?”

“Hey!” Jared objected.

“Jensen, be nice!” Sandy cut in admonishingly, her fingers on the hand closest to Jensen twitching.

Jensen turned to glare down at Sandy. “Why are you even defending him. You’re supposed to be my friend. How do you even know him?”

“I don’t know him. My sisters do. He helped them pass eighth grade. They both say he was the nicest guy in the entire junior high. Always running fundraisers for one charity or another, volunteering his time to tutor the slower students and such. He even gave his shoes to a boy from the projects whose dad drank and gambled away all their money.”

Now all three of the older teens were looking at Jared. Sandy with open approval, Jeff with… was that pride? Pride in him?! Jared didn’t know quite where to look and he didn’t even try to stem the flow of blood to his face. He knew how easily he blushed and that it was futile to even try to stop it. However, all thoughts about blushing flew from his head when he looked over at the green-eyed boy.

Jensen was now glaring at Jared, a dark, ominous look on his face. “Just a regular ‘Mr. Goody-Two-Shoes’, aren’t ya? How pathetic. I bet you only do all that charity work just so that you can sniff under the skirts of all those volunteers. That’s all Alphas are good for, after all. Fucking and fighting.” he snarled.

Sandy gasped, taking a couple steps away from Jensen as she turned to stare incredulously at the boy she’d grown up with, dated at one point, and now called her best friend.

She almost didn’t recognize Jensen with the way his eyes were like cold, green-tinted steel instead of the sparkling, gemlike beauties they usually were.

She’d always known that Jensen and his family didn’t really mix with Alphas, but she always thought it was because of availability or proximity to families with Alphas and not because of prejudice. Looking over at Jared, Sandy was stunned again to see the younger Were’s eyes glazing over. _Alphas don’t cry!_

To his horror, Jared felt the burn of tears forming in his eyes, quickly he ducked his head. Biting his bottom lip, he began shuffling slowly back towards his house while keeping his head down, hoping no one would see his disgrace.

Jeff was now in Jensen’s face, the two yelling loud enough to draw Jared’s neighbors out of their homes to see what was going on.

Since first meeting Jensen on that wonderful-terrible day, Jared had known he wanted the green-eyed Hybrid. Sure, Jensen had acted like touching Jared was akin to handling a bag of dirty laundry, but Jared had thought it was just because he was upset over the possibility of losing his car privileges, then later in Singer’s office with their parents going at each other and being forced to do community service.

Jared understood how a person could be snappish when change is dumped on them and then being forced to comply with something you didn’t want to do. But he thought that as they spent more time together, maybe they could eventually become friends and maybe even more. But his behavior today? That was just plain mean. Jared never could stand people being mean to him.

Before Jared had grown enough to fend for himself and became the guy everyone wanted to be friends with, Jeff had had to fight many a fight for him. Losing count of the many times he’d brought Jared home from the playground, bawling his eyes out because some other kid had hit him or called him names.

Jared knew that Jeff was embarrassed, but his need to protect a younger sibling overrode the shame. And even if he never said it out loud, he knew that Jeff loved him. His parents were understanding, so was his sister and in fact, the entire Padalecki clan was protective of Jared. His ancient Aunt Minnie started protecting Jared when he was a young pup and the rest of the clan followed her cue.

“Jared has a soft, yet bright soul. Don’t let no one darken it!” she used to say. Called him ‘Sunshine’ every time she saw him.

Presenting as an Alpha didn’t change him all that much. His Alpha nature appearing only when he was angry or in a competitive mood.

When Jeff stepped between Jared and Jensen again, Jared knew Jeff was ‘flashing’, when a Were’s wolf teeth descended. The sight of Jeff’s ears lengthening confirmed it, and so did Jensen’s face paling with fear and shock.

“Don’t EVER talk about my little brother like that, again, _hybrid_.” Jeff snarled. “And if you _ever_ hurt him again, I’ll kill you!”

“JEFFREY PADALECKI!” a loud voice boomed out, making all four of them freeze where they stood. 

Jeff slowly turned to look back towards the Padalecki home, just as Gerald came storming down the steps. “Did I just hear you threatening to harm a hybrid?!” he thundered. Jeff flinching, shoulders bowing even as he ducked his head slightly downwards and to the side, exposing the side of his neck. Submitting to the older, stronger Alpha heading towards them.

“I did, Dad. But he was trash-talkin’ Jared and…”

“That is no excuse and you know that, son! Your mother and I taught you better. Get back in the house before I tell your mother about this.”

“Oh, come on, Dad! I’m sorry. I won’t do it ever again!”

“In. The. House!”

Jeff turned and walked off, but not before looking over his shoulder at Jensen, shooting him a baleful glare as he went.

“Apologies for my son’s behavior, Jensen. It will never happen again.”

Looking confused, Jensen shut his mouth. Jared only now realizing that he’d been gaping at his father as if shocked beyond his comprehension.

“Um, uh… th-thank you, sir. I’m sorry for what I said, er… uh, Jared.” Jensen said, his gaze switching to Jared.

“Now you kids get in that car and get to school before you’re late.”

Sandy meekly climbed back into the back seat of Jensen’s car while Jensen helped Jared into the front passenger seat. He closed the door for him then ran around the front of his car to get in the driver’s seat.

The short ride to school was made in silence. Jared couldn’t recall a time he’d ever felt this uncomfortable. Pulling in and parking in the student lot at school was a sort of relief.

Sandy quickly said her goodbyes when they all got out of the car. She patted Jared’s arm, smiled at Jensen, then told him she had practice after school and wouldn’t need a ride later. He nodded at her and she took off.

Other students walking by or milling about the front lawn of the school paused to stare in shock as Jensen and Jared walked up to the main entrance of the school together. Jensen was carrying two bags, one obviously belonging to Jared, as he kept one hand on Jared’s back as the boy hobbled along on two crutches and one leg. Once the doors closed behind them, a babble of voices rose up as jaws began wagging over this new and titillating development.

“Who’s that with Ackles?”

“I thought Ackles hated Alphas?”

“That’s Jared Padalecki, I have Chem class with him.”

“Guess Ackles is picking them younger these days. Anyone else find it weird that the Alpha is the younger one?”

“Do you think the skinny kid is knotting Ackles? That’s fuckin’ hilarious!”

A bunch of Freshman Betas stood in a clump under a nearby tree giggling among themselves.

“Oh my God, how cool is that? For a Freshman to date a Senior, and a gorgeous one, too!”

“Jared is so cute! I don’t blame Ackles for picking him.”

“Maybe Ackles is only helping him ‘cos he nearly ran him over with his car and feels sorry for him.”

“Are you kidding me? Didn’t you feel the heat coming off those two? That is something couples can’t fake. Those two have chemistry!”


	3. BLIND DATE

_"Everything you say to me  
Takes me one step closer to the edge  
And I'm about to break!"_  
\--"One Step Closer" Linkin Park--

It’s been two weeks since Jensen started taking Jared to and from school and escorting him from class to class. From that very first day, Jensen made it abundantly clear that he wasn’t happy about the job and refused to talk to Jared about anything not having to do with their arrangement.

Jared refused to let it bother him, though. He still greeted Jensen with ‘good morning’ when he picked him up in the mornings, talked to him about his lessons or any gossip going about when they walked from class to class with Jensen carrying his stuff as Jared gaily swung along on his crutches or hobbled about in a walking cast and cane.

Jared was healing fast, just as the doctor predicted, but it was a little too fast for Jared’s liking. Despite the constant cold shoulder from Jensen, Jared had grown to enjoy Jensen’s company. Even if the older teen had yet to engage in a real conversation with him, there were times when Jared would swear that Jensen was about to laugh or speak. Jared never called him on it, and just kept up his seemingly endless one-sided conversation.

The murmurs about them had died down by then, and the two always being together had become commonplace to the rest of the school. Word had spread that Jensen was only working off a punishment by catering to Jared. Since that was more believable than a senior as good looking, rich and popular than Jensen dating someone like Jared was mostly accepted. Especially when the Ackles’ were well known for having strong aversions for Alphas.

Jared was dreading the day his second cast would come off and Jensen’s obligation would be over. He was determined to get the Hybrid to acknowledge him as something more than just an onerous task. He knew Jensen was only tolerating him because of the ultimatums he was given, but Jared couldn’t help but enjoy the time he had with him. Everything about the older boy appealed to Jared. Jensen was now the star of every single one of Jared’s wet dreams and daydreams.

Jared’s last class was Gym and for the last two weeks the teacher had set him to light workouts in the Weight Room where Jared was usually alone. Sometimes, other students would join him to spend their free period lifting weights or using any of the other equipment that had been donated to the school, before heading home.

Most of them were seniors who were in one athletic sport or another. Jared had actually become friends with some of them. One of them was Tom Welling, captain of the basketball team. Tom smiled at Jared when he walked in that day and found Jared on one of the stationary bikes pedaling away, a fine sheen of sweat already forming on his golden-tanned skin.

“Hey, little man. How was your day?” he said, jokingly.

Jared grinned, Tom calling him ‘little man’ an inside joke of theirs since the day they first met and Tom being astonished that Jared was only 15 and yet already as tall as he was. He’d since made it a point to work out with Jared and even introduced him to the rest of the Varsity basketball team.

“Not bad, shrimp. Looking forward to my check-up tomorrow. If the x-rays show my foot is healed enough they’re gonna remove the cast.”

“You’re a half inch taller than me, and we both know that’s from your floofy hair, beanpole!”

“Floofy? Who even uses that word? Are you sure you’re an Alpha?” Jared laughed, dodging the punch Tom playfully threw at him.

“Hope all goes well with your foot, man. Even if the cast comes off, there’s still another week or two of physical therapy, right?”

“Yup. That’s what they said.”

“Yeah, Matt had to do the same thing when he rolled his ankle during a practice last year.”

“How’s he doing now?”

“All healed up now. But boy was he peeved about having to sit out most of the season last year. Bitched about PT all the time. He’s raring to go this year.”

“Good for him. You guys are gonna make a killing this year.”

“Have you thought any more about joining Junior Varsity this year? With your height they might even bump you up to Varsity next year.”

“I don’t know. I’m kind of a klutz.”

“That’s only cos’ of your growth spurt, man. Ms. Buckmeister, the JV coach, has worked with that for years. She really helped me when I joined in my Sophomore year.”

“We’ll see how my foot feels.”

“Okay, that’s cool. I like you, little man.” Tom grins at him, clapping him on the shoulder. “Mike’s parents are out of town for the weekend. We’re having a small get-together. You should come. Wanna introduce you to someone.”

“Who?”

“A friend. He’s Omega. I think you two might hit it off.”

“Hit it off? As in a date? A blind date?”

“Yeah, I told him all about you and he wants to meet up. I promised him I’d get you to that party.”

“Even if I get the cast off, I’ll still need to take it easy for a couple of weeks.”

“C’mon man! It’s not gonna be like one of those ragers Kristen throws. Just a bunch of us from school hanging out, listening to music and playing video games. I’ll pick you up so you don’t have to walk and make sure you get home, too.”

“Fine! Stop begging, Alphas shouldn’t beg.”

“Shut up, I’m not begging. It’s called peer pressure, bitch.”

Jared laughed, then Tom took the stationary bike next to Jared and for the next fifteen minutes they pedaled and talked. Jared was excited about being invited to a senior party, but his mind was a bit preoccupied about how he was going to get his parents to let him go. He could always sneak out but with how clumsy he’s been recently, he doubted he’d get very far without getting caught.

He needed to talk to Chad but he knew that if he tried to go to any party without his best friend, he’d never hear the end of it.

“Uh, Tom? Think Mike would mind if I brought a friend?”

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

_Friday Night…_

Jensen strolled into Chau’s Market and smiled at the middle-aged Asian woman standing behind the counter.

“Hey Mrs. Chau. You’re looking good today. Does Mr. Chau know you dress so nicely just for me?”

“Honey, if you saw the way I dressed for Mr. Chau on our date nights your Mama would have the vapors… and then chase me down with a meat cleaver.”

Jensen leaned over the counter, elbows braced on the stainless steel surface, and gave her his best smile. “She’s got the speed, but I bet you’ve got the stamina.”

Mrs. Chau giggled even as her face turned red. “You little asshole! Always trying to get me going. You’re lucky my husband is more than enough man for me or this old broad would give you a run for your money. Go on, get to the back. They’re waiting for you.”

“Promises, promises, darlin’.” Jensen grinned, before turning and walking towards the back of the store.

When he pushed open the swinging door to the large store room, he was greeted with loud music and even louder talking and laughing.

He spotted his band mates, Christian, Jason, Steve, Osric, Sandy and Aldis sitting on separate piles of palettes near an open roll-up door. On the table nearby, a beat-up old boom box was blasting away and sitting on some boxes nearby were Rachel, Sophia and Alona. All three girls touching up their make-up as they shouted at each other to be heard over the music. They called out greetings to Jensen as he walked by to join his friends on the palette.

“It’s about time, Ackles!” Christian shouted when he spotted Jensen. “Don’t sit down, man! We’ve already missed out on some serious party time ‘cos of your late ass. The cars are parked out back, let’s go!”

Rolling his eyes, Jensen called back to the girls on the boxes and they scurried to straighten the boxes and turn off the music. Everyone knew that Osric’s parents were cool to let them hang there and for Jensen’s band to practice, so everyone made it a point to always clean up after themselves and to never give the Chaus a reason to regret their kindness.

The whole group split up to climb into the four cars parked out back. Sandy hooked her arm through Jensen’s as they hurried towards Christian’s black Charger.

“It’s so weird to see you without Jared by your side. Where’s he tonight?”

“How the fuck would I know? I’m only supposed to help him out for school, we’re not friends or anything.”

“Why not? I’ve hung out with him a couple of times now, he’s a really smart and funny guy. He’s also tall, pretty and has amazing eyes. Exactly your type.”

“He’s a kid.”

“Puh-leeze… he’s not that much younger and didn’t you hook up with a guy this summer who was the same age? Milo Venta-something? What happened to him?”

“I wasn’t dating the dude, we just had sex a couple times. He went to live with his mom in New York.”

“I knew you two wouldn't last. He was too short and a bit dull.”

“You met him once!”

“Once was enough. So what’s wrong with Jared? He likes you. I can tell.”

“You’re like a dog with a bone, San. Can you just drop it?”

“Hey, get your asses moving! I wanna get drunk and laid sometime tonight!” Christian shouted from the driver’s seat of his car.

“Hold your fuckin’ horses, Kane!” Sandy shouted in through the window, just as she was pulling the passenger door open. As Jensen went to open the back door, Sandy grabbed his arm and pulled him to a stop.

“This is the Alpha thing, isn’t it? You TOLD me what went down in Singer’s office. Your parents’ issues are their own issues. So quit making them yours.”

“Will you just fucking drop it! What is it to you whether I like the guy or not?!”

“Because Jared is a great guy, Jensen!” Sandy is now shouting, Chris, forgetting his hurry to leave, is leaning over to look up at them, eyes wide with curiosity. The other cars were already pulling out of the parking lot. “Every time you make fun of him or make one of your snobby anti-Alpha remarks I see the hurt you’re causing. He doesn’t deserve that!”

“You guys talking about Jared?”

Jensen leaned down to look in at Christian, exasperation and anger evident on his face. “Can you believe this shit she’s giving me?! I made it clear with him from the beginning that I didn’t wanna be friends with him!”

“Yeah, dude, I get ya, but Sandy’s right. It’s one thing to not wanna be friends with someone but to be cruel to them is another.”

“CRUEL?! I’m not cruel to him, I never laid a hand on the dude!”

“Don’t fucking yell at me now! And yes, you were fucking mean! I’ve seen you cold-shoulder and ignore Alphas before, but you were never an asshole to them. Just the other day, you full on laughed at Jared when he stumbled and nearly fell in the cafeteria. Fucking kid looked like a kicked puppy! We’re not the only ones to notice, dude!”

Jensen blinked at Christian, then at Sandy as his mind rewound to that moment in the cafeteria. Pictures of Jared with wide hazel eyes glistening with unshed tears filled his mind.

“Oh my god… I didn’t realize… I’m such a dick!”

There was silence between the three of them for a good ten seconds until Sandy gave a big sigh and stepped closer to wrap her arms around Jensen’s waist.

“Don’t worry. We still love you. We just didn’t understand what was going on with you.”

“I don’t know why I was such a dick to him, though. Hell, I didn’t even realize I was doing it ‘til now!”

“I think it’s ‘cos you like him. I mean, like, REALLY like him.”

Jensen rolled his eyes, then tilted his head to look down at her, lips pressed tight, one brow arched.

“Bitchface all you want, but answer me this. As Christian just said a minute ago, you’ve always handled Alphas with a non-caring attitude. Making it clear you weren’t interested in them in tactful ways. So why is it, when it comes to a great guy like Jared, your fangs come out, huh?”

Jensen blinked in confusion at her, even as his mouth opened then closed a couple of times, completely at a loss for words.

“Look…” Christian called out as he moved back into his seat. “It’s getting a little too serious here. Let’s get to the party, get shit-faced then talk about this another time, huh?”

In silent agreement, Sandy and Jensen got in the car.


	4. TRUTH OR DARE

_”Forfeit the game  
Before somebody else  
Takes you outta the frame  
And puts your name to shame.”_  
\--”Points of Authority” Linkin Park--

Jensen was greeted by half a dozen schoolmates the moment he walked through the Rosenbaum’s front door. Including the host and another of Jensen’s friends, Mike. After a quick hug and being handed a red Solo cup filled with a pale, foamy brew that Jensen could tell wasn’t cheap despite the homely container being used to dispense it, Mike clapped him on the back, told Jensen there was food out back and to enjoy himself. Mike then called out to someone across the room and walked off. Jensen had been the last to enter the party, letting his friends go ahead as he grabbed a smoke outside and sorted through what had gone down with Christian and Sandy earlier.

Jensen looked around at what constituted a small party to Mike and shook his head. Jensen counted thirty people in the main rooms alone, and he was willing to bet that there were even more out on the patio and around the pool. Not to mention, down in the basement, where two guest bedrooms and a massive Rec Room were located. Mike’s house was well known as one of the best party pads in town and people rarely ever turned down an invite to one of his parties.

“JENSEN, OVER HERE!” he heard his name being called. To his left, where he knew the dining room was, he spotted Sandy, standing on a chair, beckoning him to her.

Weaving through the people between them, Jensen joined her quickly. With her as usual was Sophia. The cute brunette was smiling at Jensen in greeting.

Jensen steadied Sandy when she hopped down from her perch, then staggered when she immediately pulled on his right arm so that he’d lean down far enough for her to whisper fiercely into his right ear. “Jared’s here! Tom brought him.”

“Geez Sandy, take it easy! What?”

“Jared’s here. Now would be the perfect time to make your move.”

“Make my ---- What the hell are you talking about? He’s an Alpha!”

Sandy pulled back to stare indignantly up at him. Jensen was perturbed at seeing the hint of disappointment in her eyes. He blushed as a feeling of shame came over him.

“Look, I…”

“No, YOU look.” she gritted out through clenched teeth. “I know that you’ve always just mimicked your family’s bigotry for Alphas because it was how you were raised. I know you have no real objections to them. I also know you’re attracted to Jared and that’s why you’ve been so mean to him. Jared likes you and I can feel a connection between you two. So can the others!”

Jensen tried to laugh off her words, turning to walk away when the petite girl stopped him in his tracks by digging two well-manicured fingers into his side, causing him to jump and let out an involuntary giggle when she hit his ticklish spot dead on.

Jensen squawked then slapped her hand away. “Quit it!”

“Quit being a jackass and take a chance, Jen.” she said, entreatingly.

“My parents would go apeshit if they ever found out I hooked up with an Alpha, let alone date one Sands.”

“Since when have you ever worried about breaking the rules?”

“Why are you pushing this so hard?”

“Because I know you two are perfect for each other. I can smell it!”

“Oh God, not again! You don’t have a Luna Gift, Sands!”

“Sandy, you have a Luna Gift?! Why did you never tell me?”

“Because she doesn’t have it, but thinks she does ‘cos her great-great grandmother had the ability to sniff out liars.”

“You know I said that Mr. and Mrs. Lewis would marry when we were in Junior High, and even Mike and Tom back in our freshman year.” Sandy snapped, glaring at Jensen.

“Oh please! Everyone knew Miss Brown and Mr. Lewis were banging in the store room and Mike and Tom were instantly hot for each other from the moment they met, it wasn’t hard to predict either couple would become an item.”

“I didn’t PREDICT! I KNEW!”

“You really think you have a matchmaking gift, Sandy?” Sophia asked, eyes shining with excitement.

“Yes! My mom told me that Great-Gran’s gift was a bit off until she turned eighteen. It was then her gift not only got stronger but also more accurate and manageable. She used to get 2 out of 5 wrong and the gift came and went on its own accord. After 18, she only needed one whiff of a person to tell if they were lying or not. My siblings and I got into so much mischief, and when she was around, no matter how hard we tried to trick her, she always knew we were lying. When I turn eighteen next month my gift will be solid too, and I’ll show you both I was right.”

As she was talking, Jensen had turned to scan the crowd in the room, hoping to spot Christian so he could make up an excuse and leave the girls. Instead, his viridian eyes found Jared.

It wasn’t hard for Jensen’s keen Were sight to spot Jared in a darkened corner across the room. The younger boy stood taller than everyone around him, his bright smile and russet brown hair shining whenever the beam from a strobe light passed over him.

Turning back to Sandy with narrowed eyes and clenched jaw, she and Sophia having devolved into a conversation about people they knew who had Luna Gifts, Jensen stared until she sensed his anger and turned to look at him.

“Jensen?”

“You said Jared likes me and that your so-called gift says he’s supposed to be mine, right?”

“Um… well, yeah.”

“Well, if you could put your gift in front of your Great-Gran, she’d tell you it was lying!”

“What are you talking about?”

“If he really liked me and he’s supposed to be mine, then why the FUCK is he over there making out with Stephen Amell?!”

Sandy and Sophia gaped in shock as they turned to see Jared with Stephen then turned back to see Jensen stalking off towards the kitchen, rage evident in every line of his body.

“Oh my, Sands… your gift is awesome! If that isn’t jealousy I don’t know what is.”

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

_Four Hours Later…_

Jared lifted the lid of the last trash bin lined up along the curb outside the Rosenbaum residence and threw in the fourth and last bag of trash. A select few of Mike’s closest friends had stayed back to help clean up while Tom and Mike took home those who’d surrendered their keys at the start of the party and were now too drunk to drive themselves home.

Mike had appointed himself the Keymaster for the night and unlike most teens his age, he didn’t seem to mind not being able to drink anything other than can after can of straight cola all night. And even if he was a bit tipsy, Tom refused to let his boyfriend go alone and so off they went as Sandy took command of the clean-up.

As he was walking back up the front walk, the front door opened and Sandy stepped out. She smiled warmly at him. “Hey Jared. Thanks for all the help. Mike just called to thank all of us for helping out. He had his staff prepare us some breakfast and set it up in the Rec Room downstairs, everyone’s heading down. How’re you feeling?”

“I’m good. I didn’t drink anything more than 2 cups of beer, then just kept drinking soda the rest of the time. I’m still taking pain meds so I couldn’t drink too much.”

“Yeah, gotta be careful with pain meds. Where’s Stephen? Saw you two getting cozy earlier.” she asked with a sly twinkle in her dark brown eyes.

Jared flushed then stammered. “What? Um… uh…”

“No need to be embarrassed! He’s one fine looking Omega.”

“No, he’s… we just met… we’re just friends.”

“Jensen was here.” Sandry said, nonchalantly. “Did you talk to him?”

“Um, uh… no. He doesn’t have to associate with me anymore. Not since I got the cast off. Plus, I… I think he hates me.”

“He doesn’t hate you! Why would you think that?!”

“Uh, because of all the dirty looks he kept giving me all night? Me _and_ Stephen. Stephen tried to find out what his problem was, but Jensen just blew him off.”

“Don’t mind him, honey. Jensen’s a stubborn ass. He always has been. But he always eventually comes to his senses. Well, usually.”

Sandy smiled reassuringly at Jared, then patted his arm.

“Come on, let’s go get some food in us. Plus, I’m still wide awake. I wanna play some games!”

Jared groaned in mock horror, but let the petite girl pull him along as she turned and headed back into the large mansion.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

“Truth or Dare, Jensen.” Sandy said, arching her brow challengingly at him.

Jensen, who was dozing on the short couch, turned his head to peer at her. “What?”

Sandy pointed at the empty glass bottle laying on the hardwood floor in the middle of the circle his friends had made. Most of them sitting on cushions with a few taking up the loveseats pulled over to the center of the room.

“Go back to Junior High and re-learn your kiddy games, Sandz… That’s Spin the Bottle, not Truth or Dare.”

“Yeah, well, no one wanted to go first. Combining the two games takes away the task of having to choose. The game now is whoever the bottle points at has to do Truth or Dare with whomever spun it.”

“I never agreed to play.”

“Geez Jenny, stop being a fuckin’ wet blanket and just pick one, already!” Christian growled from where he was sitting on the floor, leaning up against the love seat where Chad was sitting. Christian had his head in Chad’s lap, the young, blonde Omega smirking at Jensen as he ran one hand through Christian’s long, black hair.

Rolling his eyes at his friend, Jensen looked back at Sandy and noted the mischievous twinkle in her big, brown eyes. For a split second, a feeling of unease bubbled up into his gut.

He knew that look.

Growing up together, every time Sandy had that look, Jensen usually ended up regretting going along with whatever crazy idea she’d thought up at the time.

Her eyes flickered to the right, then settled back on him. He knew Jared was to her right, seated on another loveseat, even if he couldn’t see him without craning his head about. His prone position on the couch effectively cutting off his view of that side of the circle. He refused to acknowledge even to himself how he knew exactly where Jared was in the room.

He recalled their earlier conversation, where she’d kept trying to get him to admit he had feelings for the lanky freshman. “Dare!” he nearly shouted, hoping his choice would thwart whatever evil plan she’d hatched up.

When the corner of her lips curled up and she was giving him what he called her ‘mad hatter’ smile, the niggling unease in his gut bloomed and filled him with dread. He now knew he’d played right into her hands.

 _’Dammit! How does she always trick me into these situations?!”_ Jensen thought, even as he sighed in resignation and sat up on the couch, unaware of how adorable he looked with his hair all mussed and pointing in all directions.

“Let’s get this over with. What do I have to do?”

Rising to her knee, Sandy propped her hands on her hips, she tossed back her hair in her usual dramatic fashion and fixed him a calculating stare.

“I dare you to go into the last guest bedroom and make out with whoever joins you in there for fifteen minutes. The timer starts when whoever joins you closes and locks the door. We might be listening at the door, so we’ll know if you follow through or not.”

“You’re seriously gonna force me to have sex with some stranger?!”

“No! I said make out! Kisses, feelskies, that’s all! If you do more, that’s completely up to you and whoever the unlucky winner that gets to join you, is.”

 

“Fine!” Jensen grumbled. Standing up on the seat of the couch, he vaulted over its back and landed on the hardwood floor behind it with a thump. Barefoot and wearing only his jeans and a white tee, Jensen stomped off towards the short hall that led to the guest bedrooms.

“Oh! There’s one more condition, Jen!” Sandy called out to him.


	5. BLINDFOLDS

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter here... it will happen now and again in the interest of moving the plot along. Hope it doesn't come off as rushed.

_I woke up in a dream today  
To the cold of the static and put my cold feet on the floor._  
\--”With You” Linkin Park--

Pausing a the head of the hall, Jensen let out an exasperated sigh, then turned to glare back at her. “I don’t know why I put up with you, woman!”

“Yeah, whatever… you love me, you can’t help yourself. Keep the lights off, whoever joins you will be challenged to keep you from knowing who they are for as long as they can. In fact, come back here for a second.”

Sandy turned to Rachel who was dressed all in black, complete with a short velvet jacket, with a black satin belt cinching it close to her body in order to show off her curves. “Can I borrow your belt, Rach?”

Rachel gamely removed her belt, and handed it over just as Jensen rejoined them. Sandy handed it to Jensen and smirked at him again. “To make sure you don’t peek. When you get to the room, put this on then lay on the bed.”

“Are you serious?! In case you forgot, just because I can’t shift doesn’t mean I won’t be able to sniff out who it is.”

Sandy waved a dismissive hand at him. “Yeah, yeah… I got that covered. Scoot!”

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Jensen was mostly asleep by the time the door to the room opened, the light from the hall allowing him to see a slight shadow in the doorway. Other shadows joining the first.

“Aww, what a sport. He even got into position.” Sandy’s voice rang out, laughing aloud when Jensen flipped her the bird instead of replying.

He lay face-up on the bed, fully clothed in the dark room, with the scarf wrapped once around his head and knotted at the side.

“Couldn’t you at least take off your shirt? You’re supposed to be a prize, after all.”

“Hell no! That’s not part of the deal. You’re lucky I’m even playing along and doing this much.”

“Fine. Well, here’s the winner. He beat Mike at beer pong. Before we let him in, let me light this so you can’t cheat and scent him too easily.”

Jensen could hear the flicking of a lighter and then soon the strong scent of sage began to fill the room. Jensen’s nose twitched, then he sneezed. “Damn, Sandz… couldn’t you get anything else but sage? You know I hate that smell.”

“Which is precisely why I picked it. Now hush, you big baby. Okay, Mr. Big Winner, you know the rules. You can touch his upper body but nothing lower than his waist without asking and getting permission first.”

“I can’t believe I’m doing this.” Jensen muttered.

Sandy ignored him as she continued listing out the rules to the unknown winner.

“If he correctly guesses who you are, you have to immediately remove his blindfold. Then he has the option of leaving. If he leaves this room before the fifteen minutes are up, you lose and you take his place. If no one leaves the room after fifteen minutes, you both win and we leave you alone in here for the rest of the night.”

Jensen snorted derisively, confident that his acute sense of smell would identify the guy as soon as he got close enough, setting himself free and out of the room.

“Okay, you two! Have fun! Someone will be posted outside the door. If there is a problem, just give a shout.”

“What do you mean, a problem?” Jensen asked, alarmed.

“Bye Jenny baby, have fuuuun!”

“Sandy! What kind of problem?!”

All he got in answer was the sound of the door closing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone ok? Still with me? :)


	6. LOST A BET

_In spite of the way you were mocking me  
Acting like I was part of your property  
Remembering all the times you fought with me  
I'm surprised it got so far._  
\--”In The End” Linkin Park--

Jared stood frozen in the middle of the room. Sure, he’d fought hard to beat Mike at the chance to join Jensen but he hadn’t thought far enough ahead and really had no idea what to do now that he was actually here.

Then, before he could head for the bedroom, Chris had thrown him a side bet. If Jensen guessed who he was before the fifteen minutes was up, Jared would have to take his place on the bed. If he didn’t, then Chris would owe Jared a favor.

Besides Sandy, Chris was Jensen’s closest friend. He figured having Chris owing him something could end up being a great advantage to winning Jensen over one day, so he’d taken the bet.

Now he was alone in the room with an unaware and basically helpless Jensen Ackles. The timer had started but Jared was at a loss as to what to do now.

The low golden glow from the night lights built into the baseboards of the room gave off just enough light to make out Jensen’s body in the middle of the queen-sized bed. Jared’s mouth went dry as he gazed longingly upon the beautiful Brid.

He now had the chance to fulfill all his dreams. Being able to touch the older boy and Jensen having no say in it until he could name Jared or when the fifteen minutes were up and he was just standing there like a deer caught in headlights.

He jerked out of his musings when Jensen slapped the surface of the bed with both hands and huffed out a breath, impatiently. “Dude, time is ticking. Are we gonna do this or not?”

Swallowing nervously, Jared shuffled closer to the bed. He bit his lip to keep from whimpering as he ran his eyes over Jensen’s body. His hands twitched, wanting to reach out and touch so badly. He could see Jensen’s nostrils flaring, trying to catch his scent. Jared smiled when his cute freckled nose wrinkled with distaste just as a tendril of sage smoke wafted by him.

Sighing resignedly, Jared turned back around and went to pick up the stone bowl with the smoldering sage in it. Taking it into the en suite bathroom, he dumped the contents in the toilet bowl then flushed it. He then opened a window in the bathroom, went back into the bedroom and opened a window there as well. A breeze came in the room, clearing the strong sage smell, fast.

Jensen was turning his head from side to side, forehead wrinkled in confusion. “What’s going on?”

Returning to the bed, Jared paused to gaze down at Jensen again. His eyes traced the curve of plush lips and even as he watched, Jensen’s pink tongue poked out and licked at dry lips. Jared nearly groaned aloud and reached one hand down to squeeze his rapidly filling cock.

Deciding to act quickly before he changed his mind, Jared reached out and slipped the scarf up and off Jensen’s face. Big green eyes widened as they locked with Jared’s hazel eyes with their tinges of blue and green.

“Why am I not surprised it’s you?” Jensen muttered, his expression hardening.

With a wry grin, Jared shrugged then stepped over to the foot of the bed.

“What are you doing?” the older boy asked, voice deep with suspicion.

“You win. You can leave now. I can’t do this. I don’t care if I lose the bet with Chris.”

Sitting up in the middle of the bed, legs bending until he was sitting cross-legged, Jensen pulled the scarf completely off his head with one hand, while running the fingers of his other hand through his hair, trying to fix the mess the scarf had made of it. .

“What do you mean you can’t do this and what bet with Chris? All the weeks I’ve been ferrying you around, you think I didn’t see the way you looked at me? This was your chance to do whatever you wanted. You change your mind or think I’m suddenly not good enough for you?”

“No. I _do_ want you. A LOT! Chris bet that you’d figure out it was me in and go stomping out of here before the fifteen minutes was up.” Jared snapped back. “But I can’t do this, not like this! Not with you unaware. It feels too much like lying. And… and… I like you too much to lie to you.” Jared finished, turning his back to Jensen, unable to look at the derision and amusement that must be on Jensen’s face.

He knew he was making a fool of himself, but it also felt good to finally get it all out there. Laid out plain and simple for Jensen with no chance for misinterpretations.

Jensen stared at the Alpha’s back, noting the dejected slump of his shoulders and the trembling in the large hands that went up to run roughly through thick, sable brown, soft-looking hair.

A strong need to comfort Jared came over Jensen. “Fuckin’ Sandy.” he muttered. 

Getting up from the bed, Jensen grabbed Jared’s shoulders and carefully turned him around until the younger boy was facing him. Jared kept his head down, face pale and drawn. He was the very image of dejection, Jensen’s heart ached with guilt.

All he suddenly wanted to do was to remove that pain and confusion.

Tilting his head back, Jensen pulled Jared to him until they were pressed tightly together from chest to thighs.

“Jensen? Wh-what are you doing?”

“What I should’ve done a long time ago.”

With that, Jensen snaked one hand behind Jared’s neck, hand smoothing upwards until he could tangle his fingers in Jared’s soft hair. One hand in his hair, the other wrapped around Jared’s hip, Jensen guided Jared’s head downward until he could finally catch Jared’s lips with his own. The young Alpha’s gasp of surprise muffled by Jensen’s plush, slick lips.

Jared moaned loudly, both large hands coming up to cup Jensen’s face. Thumbs smoothing over the older boy’s cheeks, reveling in the feel of soft, unblemished skin.

Jensen stepped backwards toward the bed, taking Jared with him. When he felt the backs of his legs hit the bed, he swung Jared around and pushed him onto the bed. The younger teen squeaking in surprise.

Jensen chuckled as he urged Jared to move further up the bed and then climbed on after him. Crawling up his body until he was stretched out atop the taller, yet slimmer boy. Shifting to the side to take some of his weight off of Jared, Jensen gasped as his already aching dick slid across Jared’s hip. Settling onto the bed beside Jared with one leg thrown over Jared’s leg, Jensen unconsciously pressed his erection into Jared’s hip, the friction sending delicious chills up his spine.

One of Jared’s arms was trapped under Jensen’s body, so he wrapped it around the older boy, one large hand working its way under the hem of Jensen’s shirt, until his hot palm was centered on the smooth skin of his back. He pulled on Jensen gently even as he craned his neck upwards in a bid to capture Jensen’s lips again. Tilting his head instinctively so that their mouths slotted perfectly on the first try.

It was Jensen’s turn to moan as Jared’s hot, slick tongue immediately darted into his mouth and began mapping every recess. For all the shyness he’d shown before, Jensen was surprised at the younger boy’s mild aggressiveness and confidence. If he was willing to admit it to himself, Jensen would even say that it was also a bit of a turn-on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How was that? Anyone need a moment? :))  
> I hope y'all are liking the daily updates. I know it's out of the norm for me, but I was able to get about 10 chapters done before I started posting it so I'm actually many chapters ahead right now and as long as my muse keeps going I will continue to be able to provide a new chapter every day.
> 
> Note: Because of the Bingo challenge this was written for, I sometimes have to stop chapters at awkward points, just so that I can get the right scenes into the right chapters, so as to complete a square. I just hope it doesn't detract from the flow of the story for you. Please feel free to let me know if this strategy is negatively affecting your reading experience.


	7. SLICK

_From the top to the bottom  
Bottom to top I stop  
At the core I've forgotten._  
\--”Forgotten” Linkin Park--

Jared felt as if his entire body was on fire. Searing heat shot through his veins and straight into his brain. He clutched desperately at Jensen as he plundered the sweet, hot recesses of his mouth. Pulling back every now and then to nibble and nip at his plush, now red and kiss-swollen lips.

He couldn’t get enough. Jensen’s taste was so intoxicating. Pulling back again, he ran his lips along Jensen’s jawline, coming to his ear. Jared sucked the tender lobe into his mouth then bit it sharply, causing the older boy to gasp and speed up the undulations of his hips.

The need to press skin-to-skin to the Brid suddenly became a priority in Jared’s overheated mind. The way he was suddenly thinking of Jensen as his gave him no pause. It came on suddenly, but it felt right. It felt as if it was meant to be.

He yanked up on Jensen’s shirt, the older boy sensing his need, pulled back to help peel off his shirt, tossing it behind him without a care. Jensen then attacked Jared’s shirt, ripping it open and sending buttons flying in every direction. Jared pushed up onto his elbows trying to help but it was Jensen that yanked his arms out of the sleeves and then tossing the Alpha’s shirt in the same direction his own shirt had gone.

Finally. Finally, Jared could press skin-to-skin and it was everything he’d dreamed it’d be and more. The heat of Jensen’s skin, the softness, and the slick of the fine sweat that was now building on both their bodies. He could feel the hard nubs of Jensen’s nipples, his own nipples tingling as they rubbed in turn against the Brid.

Jared felt as if he was drowning in a sea of overwhelming sensations.

His cock was now pressing painfully against his fly. Turning fast enough to make Jensen gasp with shock, Jared found himself on top of the older boy, slotted perfectly between sleek, strong thighs. The front of his jeans grew damp as precome flowed from his iron hard dick. The damp heat helped to soothe the friction as he pressed his bulge against Jensen’s equally hard crotch and rolled his hips, groaning loudly at the heavenly feel.

After a couple of minutes of Jared humping him enough to make Jensen feel like babbling praise incoherently, the heat building up inside his body made Jensen frantic for more.

“Jared! I… need… I n-need…!” he barely gasped out. His hands, having travelled down to Jared’s ass to pull the bigger boy against him, now traced the hem of Jared’s pants. He jammed his hands between them and began to frantically undo the button fly. Fumbling his way along.

Fully on board with Jensen’s obvious plan, Jared reared back onto his knees and began working just as frantically at the fastenings for Jensen’s pants. He finished first and scooted back off the bed as he pulled Jensen’s pants, along with the tight black boxer-briefs he wore underneath, down cutely bowed legs. He dropped the garments on the floor at his feet as he just stood and stared.

Jensen’s cock was so hard that it was pulled tightly towards his abdomen. The red-flushed cap shiny with flowing precome. 

Jared’s nose suddenly twitched as a delectably sweet smell began to fill the room. When he looked back at Jensen, he saw the older boy was turning red.

“Is that you?!” Jared blurted out. Reddening up himself as he realized how immature and inexperienced he sounded.

“Haven’t you ever smelled slick before?” Jensen asked, a sly smirk sliding onto his handsome features. Jared felt his pulse leap at the older boy’s words and look.

“N-no… never.”

“I’m just messing with ya. C’mere.”

Jared shuffled closer to Jensen. Moving almost timidly.

Jensen ran his hands up Jared’s arm, setting the younger boy to trembling.

“I’m gonna be brutally honest with you, Jared.” Jensen said, voice rough with lust.

“I do want you. But not because you’re an Alpha. I want you because you’re fucking hot and I’m horny. Got it?”

Jared nodded, dumbly.

Jensen had by then unbuttoned Jared’s shirt and began easing it off him. Pleased with the lean, lightly muscled body he revealed. Jared was pale, but not as pale as he was. His smooth, soft skin had a light golden tan to it that let Jensen know the boy had gone shirtless in the sun not too long ago. He could imagine Jared being a deep, golden tan in the summers. Jensen, himself, always burned first before any sort of tan built up on his skin.

When he looked back up at Jared’s face, he saw how blown Jared’s pupils were. The blue-green gold of his eyes nearly swallowed by black.

“We can make out all you want, but I’m telling you now, Jared. You will not be knotting me now or any other time. I don’t want an alpha for a mate and I sure as hell don’t wanna be pregnant before I can even make something of myself.”

Jared’s mind cleared a bit as Jensen’s words registered.

“Take it or leave it.” Jensen finished, unease shining in his deep, sparkling green eyes. He wanted Jared real bad right now, but he’d heard of and seen too many instances where Alphas lorded it over their mates. Whether their mates were Omega, Beta or Brids. There was no way Jensen would ever let anyone control him that way.

His mother had warned him more than enough times how Alphas were and he wanted more than that for himself.

After a minute or two, Jared seemed to snap out of the daze brought on by the smell of Jensen’s slick. “I want you, Jensen. I’ll take whatever you’ll give.”

Jensen beamed happily up at the younger boy. Immensely pleased.

“But if we’re being honest here, brutally or not, you need to know I’d never hurt you. I… I _love_ you, Jensen.”

“Dude, before tonight I’ve been nothing but an ass to you! How could you love me?!”

Jared laughed, his hands rising to cup the sides of Jensen’s head. “That’s _how_ I know I love you. You were an ass, a class A jerk and even a downright bitch at times, but I still couldn’t help falling for you.”

“Jared, _I’M_ too young to know what real love is, how the hell could you know? Now, all unfounded declarations of love aside, are we clear about what’s happening here? Now? If you wanna get with me, those are my rules. We can do anything we want except for fucking. I want you to promise me, Jared.”

“I promise, Jensen. But…” Jared stuttered to a halt, biting his bottom lip nervously.

“But what?”

“If fucking _you_ is not an option, how about if you, um… fucked _me_?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bwahahahaaaa! Ain't I a stinker? :P


	8. FIRST TIME

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another short chapter and I'm posting early cos' I'm getting sleepy and didn't wanna miss posting this.

_There's a place so dark you can't see the end  
Skies cock back and shock that which can't defend._  
\--”Forgotten” Linkin Park--

Jensen was at a loss. What Jared was offering was practically unheard of. At least for him. He’d never _EVER_ heard of an Alpha offering to bottom. Wasn’t it against their nature to do so? Their inner wolf too aggressive and domineering to ever submit in that way without a fight? This went against all that he’d learned from his parents, other and everyone else in his circle.

“You… want me to… fuck _YOU_?!” he felt he had to ask just to be sure he’d heard right.

Instead of answering, Jared dug his hand into his back pocket and pulled out his brown leather wallet. Digging into one of the pockets he pulled out a condom and a packet of lube. Holding it up with his fingers he showed it to Jensen.

“You’re serious!” Jensen exclaimed.

Again, letting his actions be his answer, Jared popped the button of his jeans with his other hand then worked the zipper down, carefully. Jensen’s eyes dropped to Jared’s hand, glazing over as he watched. He gasped softly then whimpered as he realized Jared wasn’t wearing underwear.

His green eyes shot back up to Jared’s face. “The condom, the lube and going commando. Did you plan this all out?” Jensen’s eyes were dark and narrowed as he challenged Jared. “Were you planning on knotting me tonight, Jared? Making me your obedient little Omega? Your BITCH?! Well, fuck YOU Jared! This was a huge mistake. You really _are_ just like every other Alpha out there.”

Jensen pulled away from Jared then hopped off the bed. He immediately began looking for his clothes, muttering to himself about how stupid he was to trust an Alpha, and how he should’ve known better.

Jared grabbed him by one arm then pulled him back until Jensen stumbled, then slammed into him, chest first. Jared looked angry.

Jensen was nonplussed. -Why was _he_ angry? He wasn’t the one that got lied to, tricked and humiliated.-

Interpreting the angry set of Jensen’s full lips, Jared took the smaller guy by the shoulder and ducked his head to lock eyes with the outraged Brid.

“I _JUST_ told you that I love you and you think I’d do that to you? I know how you feel about Alphas. Yes, I was hoping something would happen between us tonight, but I didn’t bring that stuff in hopes of making you my bitch! I stole it from Jeff’s room. I wanted… I was hoping that if you didn’t want me to fuck you, then you would wanna… oh god, I’m so stupid! I was hoping that you would wanna do me, that’s why I offered!”

Jared released Jensen then stepped back, both hands coming up to cover his red face. He then dropped his hands to stare at Jensen, expression rife with hurt. 

“I’m the one who has been nothing but polite and gracious to you for all these weeks and you’re accusing _me_ of being the asshole? Not only that, a _rapist_ asshole, too?!”

Eyes stinging, Jared whirled then quickly moved to stare dejectedly out the window. He bit his lip as he fought to keep from crying. Humiliation and despair warring within him. Behind him, he couldn’t hear Jensen moving about anymore. He could, in fact, feel Jensen staring at him.

“Just leave, Jensen.” Jared tried to say firmly, and yet his voice broke at the end. His chest hitched as he fought back a sob. “Just… just go.”

“I thought you just offered that on a whim. You were really planning on asking me to have sex with you if I turned down bottoming?”

Jared just nodded, unable to speak for fear of sobbing and making an even bigger fool of himself.

“Have you ever been with anyone that way before, Jared?”

Again, Jared just shook his head, but this time, side-to-side. “I wanted you to be my first.” He finally spoke, voice hoarse and barely a whisper.

Jared jumped when Jensen’s hands settled on upper arms then slowly turned him until he was face to face with the older boy. Jared’s eyes dropped, but Jensen wouldn’t have it. Curving one finger under Jared’s chin, he raised Jared’s head until Jared met his gaze.

“I’m sorry. I - I’m a dick. I’m just so used to how most Alphas treat me. You’re nothing like them and I’m sorry I said that you were. If you still want me, I’d be honored to be your first.”


	9. UNDERAGE

_But I know just what it feels like  
To have a voice in the back of my head._  
\--”Papercuts” Linkin Park--

Jensen stared in wonder as the biggest and most beautiful smile he’d ever seen spread across Jared’s face. Dimples carved deep and framing soft, kiss-swollen lips.

Moving slowly and taking care not to startle the younger boy, Jensen pulled Jared’s face down to his, kissing him softly, reverently.

Jared’s mind was once again blown. “D-does this mean y-you’ll do it. Fuck me?”

“Yes, Jared. This means I’ll _make love_ to you.”

Jensen then proceeded to do just that.

He led Jared back to the bed and helped him to remove the rest of his clothing. He laid Jared out on the bed and began exploring the teen’s long beautiful body. Taking the time to discover Jared’s sensitive spots with his lips and hands, working his way down from Jared’s lips, to his ears, neck and along the sharp jut of his collarbones.

Jared’s hands were roaming freely even as Jensen worked his way down his chest. Stopping to lick, nibble and pluck at Jared’s now rigid and aching nipples. He then moved further down, trailing plush lips over the beginnings of a tight, firm six-pack abs, pausing to lave Jared’s belly button.

In what felt like an age of waiting, Jensen finally came to Jared’s crotch. The older boy licked and nipped at the taut skin to either side of Jared’s rock-hard erection.

When Jared began mewling and making small thrusts with his hips, Jensen took pity on him and took the head of the Alpha’s twitching cock into his mouth. Jared’s neck arched beautifully as he dug his head back into the mattress of the bed, mouth forming a silent ‘O’ of pure bliss.

“OH DEAR GOD... Jensen!” Jared shouted, his whole body trembling.

“We’re just gonna take the edge off, sweetheart.”

“Mmkay.” Jared hummed, his head thrashing side to side. 

Patting the bed to the side of Jared with one hand, Jensen found the packets of condom and lube. Finding the lube by feel alone, Jensen pulled off of Jared to tear open the packet and coat his first finger. He smiled indulgently when Jared mewled then growled in protest, wanting Jensen to go back to what he was doing.

Laying the packet carefully aside, Jensen grabbed the base of Jared’s cock with his un-lubed hand and guided the surprisingly large member back to his lips. He kissed then licked at the slit, using the tip of his tongue to delve into the opening, relishing the sweet, salty taste of Jared’s precome. The younger boy’s eyes rolled as he dropped his head back onto the bed and started moaning incoherently. Jensen’s other hand worked its way into the crease of Jared’s perfect ass until he found the tight bud of his hole. Stroking it with his slick fingers, he marveled at how soft and tight it was. He paused as he took Jared deeper into his mouth, frowning when he realized the lube was losing its slickness. It was even turning tacky on his fingers and around Jared’s hole.

Pulling off of Jared, he mumbled apologies when Jared protested again and snatched up the packet of lube. Flipping it over he groaned as he noted the ‘use by’ date was over a year ago.

“What’s wrong?”

“Your brother needs to learn how to read expiration dates and stop buying cheap lube.” Jensen growled.

“You gotta be kidding me.” Jared groaned, covering his face with both hands, grunting when his neglected cock twitched. “What are we gonna do now? Can’t you just do it without lube?” 

“No, Jared. That would hurt you too much. I’m not doing that to you on your first time.”

“Maybe Chris or Tom might have some?”

“I’m sure they do, but do you really want me to walk out there and ask?”

Jared grimaced then shook his head, his flushed face reddening a bit more at the thought. He then inhaled deeply then huffed out his breath in exasperation. He froze, sniffing delicately, eyes closing halfway then snapping back open as he turned to look at Jensen, a smile growing on his lips.

“What?”

Jared bit his lip, popped it free when he opened his mouth as if to say something, blushed even hotter then went back to biting his bottom lip. All of that shooting spikes of desire straight down into Jensen’s cock, but also making him frustrated enough to consider choking the young Alpha. “Dude, _WHAT?!_ ” he snapped.

“We _do_ have lube. It’s all-natural, it’s fresh, and it smells amazing.”

“Where?”

Jared pointed right at Jensen.

“Huh?” Jensen blurted out, brow creased in confusion. He turned to look behind him, but didn’t see anything resembling a bottle of lube in that half of the dim room.

Hearing Jared laugh, Jensen whipped back around and scowled as he watched the naked, achingly gorgeous boy roll side-to-side on the bed. He was holding his flat, tight stomach with both hands as he laughed his shaggy-haired head off.

He looked totally adorable as well as extremely fuckable, but Jensen’s raging hard-on was more focused on the latter of the two attributes.

“Jared! I swear to Luna I’ll kick your ass if you don’t tell me where the bottle of lube is and what the fuck’s so funny right now?!”

“You! Your slick, Jen. We can use your slick.”

Jensen blinked at him for a second or two then a big, beautiful grin spread across his face. “My genius boy.” he murmured as he leaned in to crowd Jared back onto the bed until he was perched above him on his hands and knees.

Rearing back, Jensen brought one leg forward ‘til he was kneeling on one knee. Sliding his hand past his cock and balls, Jensen stroked at his own opening, collecting the slick oozing from him, Jared craning his neck to watch. The boy had two bright flags of red on his cheeks, his beautiful, tilted eyes going half-mast as he watched with a hungry expresion.

“Oh fuck, that’s hot. Can I… can I taste?”

Jensen grunted and bowed slightly as his cock twitched, then pulsed out a blurt of precome. “Fuck, Jared. You’re gonna kill me, baby.” he whined, even as he brought his slicked up fingers to Jared. The young Alpha’s eyes dilating as he opened his mouth and took Jensen’s fingers into the hot recesses of his mouth. Reddened, swollen lips wrapping firmly around the digits.

Another shockwave of lust flashed straight to Jensen’s cock, making him grunt and keen at the same time. He snatched his fingers back, shushing Jared’s whine of protest even as he slid his hand back to his own opening and collected more slick.

“Dammit, Jared. Gonna make me blow before I even get inside you.” Jensen muttered as he pushed Jared’s thighs wider.

He caught Jard’s lips with his own and proceeded to ravage his mouth voraciously even as he brought his slicked fingers to Jared’s opening and began to work it again. He swallowed Jared’s cries and moans as he worked one, two, then finally three fingers into the boy. Returning his hand to his own opening whenever he needed more lubrication.

In what felt like both too short a time and an eternity, Jensen slicked up his cock and was poised at Jared’s opening. “Ready, honey?” he asked, breathless and panting.

Jared nodded, staring up at him with wide eyes, pupils blown, breath rasping fast and harsh from slack lips.

Jensen pushed in, both boys groaning loudly as he did.

Jensen meant to pause and let Jared adjust, but his body seemed to have a mind of its own and kept pushing. Jared’s eyes rolled into the back of his head, mouth gaping wide on a silent shout, eyes squeezed tight.

Jensen paused only when he was fully sheathed in Jared’s tight, searingly hot channel. White bursts of light exploding behind his eyes.

“Oh, Goddess… oh oh. So fucking good!” he moaned as he dropped his upper body onto Jared and caught his lips with his own. He murmured apologies and praise against the 15-year-old’s mouth. Jared slowly responding to the kisses, croaking out reassurances to the older boy.

“I’m… I’m… oh fuck, so full! I’m okay. I’m okay.”

“Please, Jared. Please. Can I move?”

“YES! Fuckin’ move!”

And Jensen did.

It was a flurry of movements from there on; pushing, pulling, thrusting, lifting. Jensen’s hands roamed wildly, reveling in Jared’s slick, smooth and sweaty skin, hands sometimes clenching in Jared’s long hair as he ravaged the younger boy’s mouth even as his cock plunged, slamming in and out of Jared’s greedy hole.

When Jared lifted his long legs and wrapped them over Jensen’s lower back, it snapped whatever little control the older boy had and the bed began to knock against the wall behind it as Jensen drove into Jared with abandon. The both of them shouting and moaning incessantly now. Jensen reared back onto his knees, sitting back on his haunches, he latched both hands onto Jared’s slim hips and dragged him in closer until the boy’s perfect ass was practically in his lap. Jensen’s hips pumped madly, grunting loudly with every push. Jared was keening, babbling incoherently as he clenched both hands in the bedsheets and his head thrashed wildly back and forth. “Oh Jensen, oh baby… fuck yeah, so good!”

In the short hall just outside the bedroom, Sandy and Chad shot each other gleeful grins as they stood side-by-side, heads turned toward each other, each with an ear pressed to the door even if the sounds were loud enough to be heard clearly in the hallway.

Sandy pulled back, taking Chad with her. “Well, Jared won the bet. He gets the room all night.”

“More like Jensen won, in my opinion.”

Sandy giggled. “C’mon, let’s give them some privacy and get back to the party.”

Before the two left, Sandy made sure to unlock the door, then draped one arm over Chad’s shoulders before walking back out to the main room.


	10. HEAT/RUT

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, this is where the daily updates end. You've all caught up to where I currently am in the writing of this story. I will try my best to get each chapter out as fast as I can, but I won't make any promises other than I WILL finish this fic. I'm sorry, I wish I was one of those fast writers, but I'm not.

_I wanna run away  
Never say goodbye  
I wanna know the truth  
Instead of wondering why._  
\--”Runaway” Linkin Park--

Jensen woke knowing exactly where he was and who was in bed with him. The heat and scent coming from his bed partner already oddly familiar and comforting. But at the same time, the scent and heat from Jared was unsettlingly addictive and Jensen could make no sense of the deep yearning he felt for Jared, either.

_-What’s wrong with me? I’ve had him, already, what the hell is GOING ON?!-_

Just then a clenching, twisting sensation ran straight through Jensen, snatching his breath and leaving him reeling. It felt like his guts were being mangled and ripped apart by very sharp teeth. Biting back a scream of pain, Jensen rolled to the edge of the bed and then to his hands and knees on the floor.

His body was screaming for him to return to the still sleeping teen on the bed, but his mind was telling him to run as fast as he could. He’d made a lot of noise, why wasn’t Jared waking up?

“Jared?” Jensen called out, weakly. “Jared!” he tried again, louder.

No response from Jared, not even a twitch or flicker of an eyelid. From where he was, Jensen could see that the younger boy was flushed red, sweating profusely and trembling all over.

Jensen shoved his own pain aside as worry for Jared began to bloom.

“Jared, answer me!”

Using the bed to brace himself, Jensen got to his feet then worked his way as quickly as he could around the large bed, with both hands on the bed to keep him from falling. As he neared the last corner before coming to Jared’s side, he felt his body strengthen slightly, and he was able to walk the last few feet to Jared’s side on much steadier feet.

As with most Weres when faced with a possibly sick person, Jensen sniffed Jared to see if he could tell what was wrong with the boy and why he wasn’t responding to Jensen’s calls. With one big sniff, the tearing sensation in Jensen’s gut exploded and flooded him with a confusing yet all consuming warmth. He also could feel the a copious amount of slick coming from his hole. So much of it that he could soon feel it running down the insides of his legs.

Bracing his hands on the bed again, Jensen dropped his head between his shoulders, trying to catch his breath. But with every inhale more and more of Jared’s heady Alpha musk was pulled into him. They were perfectly fine the first time they had sex last night and then again, around 3am, when Jensen woke Jared with a blowjob.

Why was his scent affecting Jensen so much now? Why was his slick flowing so much and his cock harder than it’s ever been in his life?

Just then, Jared moaned and shifted. Jensen’s head popped up and his eyes flew to Jared’s face just as the teen’s eyes popped open and focused on Jensen. Jensen gasped in shock and disbelief.

Jared’s eyes were a glowing amber and when he opened his mouth to speak, Jensen could see that all of his teeth had lengthened, all of them pointed and looking razor sharp.

“Mate.” Jared growled.

Gasping even louder, Jensen reared back from the teen, nearly falling on his backside but managing to grab onto a nearby dresser to keep him from falling.

This can’t be happening. Jensen had seen read and seen enough educational material to recognize an Alpha rut when he saw one. Now knowing that Jared was in rut, Jensen could now explain why his body was acting all weird as well. He was in heat.

Jensen shook his head to clear the foggy feeling from it and began staggering about the room trying to find his clothes. He couldn’t be in heat, he just couldn’t. He was a Hybrid. Hybrids didn’t have heats!

Jensen managed to get his pants zipped and buttoned and was just sliding his shirt on when Jared sat up in the bed reached out a hand to him. His bizarrely glowing eyes still managing to impart need, lust and desperation. “Mate… mine!” Jared growled, as he shot out one hand to grab at Jensen when he came close to grab his keys off the nightstand.

“MATE!” Jared shouted, a whine of pure need in his tone. When Jensen ducked away, Jared tried to follow and ended up falling off the bed and onto the floor where he writhed weakly.

“I’m sorry, Jared. But I’m no one’s mate right now, but even if I was ready to mate, I’m for damn sure not mating with an Alpha.”

Jared twisted his head to look up at Jensen through sweaty clumps of hair. “You’re mine. Mate, NOW!” he growled, the tone and reverberation of an Alpha command ringing in his voice.

Tightening his lips in anger, Jensen leaned in as close as he dared and snarled at Jared. “Alpha commands don’t work on me. But you just made it plain and clear that this was a _monumental_ mistake - NO ONE controls me!”

“Don’t go. Can’t… leave… me!” Jared pleaded as he rolled onto his hands and knees.

“I’m sorry, Jared. I will never bow to an Alpha.” He said, almost as if with regret. Then he was out the door and across the Rec Room, pounding up the stairs before any of his friends who were crashed out in the Rec Room could even raise their heads to see who was making all the racket.

 

+++++++++++++++++++++

 

When Sandy woke in the second bedroom three hours later, she pushed Rachel off of her then went to the en suite to wash her face and get ready for the day. Her parents would be back in town that night and she had to make sure the house had no evidence of the party, before they did.

As she was walking by the first bedroom, she noticed right off that the door was wide open. Glancing in, she didn’t see anyone in the room, but what looked like Jared’s outfit from last night was still strewn all over the place and two pairs of boy’s undershorts, one black, one blue, were laying in one corner of the room.

“Did they leave this morning with Jared buck naked?” she muttered to herself. Stepping fully into the room, her nose wrinkled at the strong scent of sex and… and… “What is that? Is that _Alpha_ musk?”

A feeling of dread began worming its way into the cheerleader. That musk was too strong to be just from having sex. Fear for Jensen began to mount.

“Jensen?!” she called out louder, finally noticing that the bathroom door was shut but vibrating subtly as if something or someone was pressed up against it on the other side. As she moved closer she could hear what sounded like a faint moan.

“Jensen? Jared? Are you guys in there? If you don’t answer me now, I’m coming in and I don’t give a shit if you’re both still fucking!”

Another moan came through the door, this time, Sandy could recognize it as coming from Jared. Worried about the strong musk scent but more worried about her friend, Sandy turned the knob and pushed at the door. With some light shoving she got it to open enough for her to stick her head in. She gasped in horror as she took in the scene before her.

Jared was stretched out naked on the white and gold marble floor. He was half-shifted with claws on every finger, sharp wolf teeth bristling in his mouth, hair longer and coarser on his head and along his shoulders and arms. Most notable of all was that he was a good deal bigger than the last time she saw him.

Being half shifted as Jared was, wasn’t the reason why Sandy started screaming hysterically for help, though. Her screams jarred everyone who’d stayed behind after the party, wide awake.

Christian and Tom were the first to reach Sandy who was standing just to the side of the bathroom door, shaking and sobbing. She pointed towards the half-opened door of the bathroom and when Christian shoved the door all the way open, managing to move Jared’s legs out of the way so that all who had entered the room could get a good look.

“Jared? OH MY GODDESS NO!” Chad screamed, fighting his way into the bathroom to grab at Jared’s large, bloody hands. Jared had been using his claws to rake at the sides of his face. Every time the deep gashes would start to heal, he’d rip at them again. There was blood all over his hands, arms and upper body. Goddess knew how long he’d been at it.

Jared pulled one hand loose and lashed viciously at Chad, sending the small Omega flying into the wall above the tub, then crashing down inside of it out cold, deep slashes torn into his upper right arm.

“NOT MATE!” Jared growled.

Christian carefully edged around Jared until he reached the rather large tub. Getting in, he pulled Chad into his lap and began checking him over for any serious damage. “Did anyone call 911?!” he shouted, then sighed in relief as Chad’s injuries began to heal.

“I just did.” Rachel called out from the position she’d taken behind Sandy. The taller woman’s arms wrapped protectively around her.

“What is going on with him? Why is he hurting himself?” Osric asked, staring fascinatedly as he tried to edge closer for a better view.

“Careful Oz…” Tom called out. “Chad is his best friend and he just sent him flying.”

Osric had by then eased close enough to lean slightly over Jared so as to get a closer look at the half-shifted boy’s face. He gasped when Jared’s eyes snapped open and focused on him.

“Holy shit, his eyes are red! I’ve never seen that before! Why are they red?!”

“Got a better question for ya. Why isn’t he lashing out at Osric the same way he did Chad?” Steve asked from where he was sitting on the bed but bent over with his elbows on his knees so he could peer around Sandy and Rachel.

Sandy’s eyes shot to Jared, then to Chad who was just coming around in Christian’s arms, to Osric then back to Jared. “He didn’t do anything to me either, and I was almost as close to him as Oz is. I… I think he’s in a Mating Rut.”

“Are you off your meds, Sandy?” Tom scoffed. “Mating Ruts are triggered by True Mates having sex and if that had happened we’d have an Omega here, going into a Mating Heat right alongside him. Or under him, is more like it. Who was he with last night? Should we be searching the place for a super horny Omega?”

“Not an Omega.” Murmured Sandy, as she pulled up her courage and moved to kneel beside Jared. She took his wrists in both her hands, Jared freezing in place, everyone watching with bated breath, ready to intervene if he tried to hurt Sandy.

“Jensen was with him last night. I think they’re True Mates. He needs Jensen.”


	11. TRUE MATES

_”Weighted against the consequences  
Can't live without it so it's senseless._  
\--”Part of Me” Linkin Park--

Gerald “Gerry” Padalecki woke from a vivid nightmare, thrashing wildly, canines extended, eyes glowing fiercely, fanged mouth roaring Jared’s name.

His Beta’s arms were around him almost instantly, her strong tone and soothing scent pushing back the beast inside of him.

Just as Sherrie was getting him to calm down enough to tell her what was wrong, Jeff and Megan came running into the room.

“Mom, Dad? What’s wrong?!” cried Megan, looking small and defenseless in her cornflower blue nightgown.

“Dad! Glad you're awake. I think you know by now Jared’s in trouble. I just got off the phone with Mikey Rosenbaum.” Jeff gasped, having run over from his small apartment above the garage. “He’s on his way to City General by ambulance. We gotta go. Meggy, go get dressed.”

Despite being family Pack leader, Gerald complied to his son’s command. His mind was still frazzled by the nightmare that had awoken him. He knew what the dream meant. It had never happened to him before but he knew a member of his pack was close to dying. When you become a pack leader, no matter how big or small, the leader bonds with each member on a subconscious level. It’s a survival instinct from ancient times during the Pack Wars, and before the Near Extinction.

The bond allowed a pack leader to sense if any of his pack was in trouble and could even allow him to find any pack member, no matter where or how far away they were.

The Padaleckis made record time getting dressed, piling into their family van with Jeff at the wheel and getting to the hospital clear across town without running any lights or breaking any speed limits. 

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

**_Four months later…_ **

 

The last person Donna Ackles ever expected to be at her door, ever, let alone at 10 o’clock at night, was Sherrie Padalecki.

Donna’s first instinct was to shut the door in the brunette’s face, but Sherrie’s pale, tear-blotched face and red-rimmed eyes stopped her. Instead, she found herself reaching out to guide the other woman inside, closing the door behind her.

“Honey? Everything okay here?”

Donna looked up to see her husband and daughter standing in the archway that led to their family room. They’d been watching a family program together when Sherrie had rung the doorbell.

“Yes, you two go back to the show. I’m just gonna take Sherrie into the kitchen and talk.”

“Maybe you should put away all the knives and blunt objects first.” Sherrie joked tearfully. But seeing young Mackenzie’s jaw drop and taking in the young girl’s pale face and worried expression, she waved one self-deprecating hand and apologized for the crass joke. “I’m kidding Mackenzie, I’d never hurt your mother.”

“And I won’t hurt her. We’re just going to talk. Alan, please?”

Alan draped an arm over their youngest child’s shoulders and led her back into the family room, just as Donna began leading Sherrie down the long hall and towards the back of the house to where the kitchen was located.

Just as they entered the massive kitchen, an elderly plump woman with salt and pepper hair turned from the sink while wiping her hands on a dishcloth. She gaped at Sherrie, then apologized to Donna, profusely, for not hearing the doorbell and answering the door herself.

“It’s okay, Magda.” Donna reassured the woman, loudly. “Can we get some privacy? Sherrie and I need to talk.”

“It’s about time.” the older woman grumbled as she untied the strings of the white apron she wore and began pulling it off over her head.

“Hi, Magda.” Sherrie said, smiling tremulously.

“Hello, sweet girl. Been an age since I’ve seen those dimples here.” the older woman said, smiling softly and patting Sherrie’s arm as she walked by, closing the door behind her.

“She’s still working? I thought she’d be retired by now.”

Donna smiled, affection for the older woman plain on her face. “Oh, Mama and I have tried to get her to retire many times. Even had a retirement barbecue for her, in hopes it would get her to give in. All she did was announce that she wasn’t retiring and then proceeded to take over the running of the party.”

“Good ol’ Magda. Stubborn to the very end.”

“She’s not the only one.” Donna said, in almost a whisper.

Sherrie’s eyes shot to her former best friend and noticed the defeated slump of the proud woman’s shoulders. “I’m such a fool. Can you ever forgive me?” she whimpered, green eyes filling with tears as she looked up at Sherrie.

The taller woman rushed across the room and threw her arms around her, a sob her only reply, Donna’s arms flying up to wrap around Sherrie’s waist.

They hugged for what felt like hours to both women but was really no more than a few minutes. Pulling apart, they both laughed at themselves as they wiped at tears on each other’s face.

“I’m so sorry, Sherrie.” Donna whispered.

“I am, too.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for. I’m the one that’s been the stubborn ass all these years.”

“It’s not all on you, Donna. I should’ve pushed harder to mend things between us. But I let my guilt and fear control me.”

“We’re both just big fools.”

“Now our kids are suffering because of it.”

“I heard you’re leaving town.”

“This town no longer feels like home. Jared’s getting in trouble for fighting at school all the time, and Gerry and I can’t blame him when the kids are being so cruel to him. Not just kids. The other day two grown men cornered him in the parking lot at Chau’s, challenging his Alpha status.”

Sherrie sobbed as Donna turned her and guided her to a nearby stool. Just then, Alan walked in and walked up to his wife, staying her as she was reaching for the coffee pot.

“I’ll make us some coffee, you two sit and talk.”

“Thanks, honey.” Donna smiled tearily at her husband.

“Hi Alan, thanks.”

“Hi Sherrie. I’m sorry for all that’s been happening with your family.”

Sherrie smiled, gratefully.

“It’s not just Jared getting into fights, either. Jeff is always defending Jared and even Megan has been getting some grief from classmates. I don’t understand why people find it so bad that Jared’s mate left him! The shame is not his!” Sherrie spat, bitterly.

Donna flinched and Sherrie reached out to take her hand.

“I’m not blaming _you_ , Donna.”

“No, you’re right. The shame is not Jared’s. But it’s also not Jensen’s. I made him the way he is. It’s all my fault.”

“Where is Jensen, Donna? Please, if Gerry and I could just talk to him. Or just me, if Gerry makes him nervous.”

Now it was Donna who broke down crying. Alan placed the carafe into the coffee machine, turned it on then rushed to his wife’s side, taking her into his arms.

“He’s gone.” Alan answered, Sherrie now noticing that like his wife, his face seemed more line with dark bags under his eyes. “He left that very night and wouldn’t tell us where he was going. We sent people after him to bring him home but he kept evading them. Then when he turned eighteen, he called and told us to back off. He’s of age now, there’s nothing we can do. Plus, he now has access to the trust fund his grandparents left him. It’s a pretty hefty fund so he doesn’t need help from us. He’s been calling once a week to check in but he refuses to tell us where he is and whenever we try to bring up anything to do with Jared, he hangs up.”

Donna pulled back from Alan to turn and stare at Sherrie with wide, red-rimmed eyes. “I _tried_ to talk to him, Sherrie, but he just keeps throwing back all of my old biased debates about the ‘evils’ of Alphas and when he does, it drives home once again how _stupid_ I’ve been!”

“Donna, please stop beating yourself up. You’ve acknowledged the wrong you’ve done and are trying to make amends. I heard about you donating and volunteering at the Alpha Shelter.”

“You heard about that?”

“Of course, you’re an Ackles and it’s not all that big of a town.”

“Oh.”

“Do you really have to leave? I mean, I’m sure eventually, the gossip and rumors will settle down and thing could go back to normal.” said Alan, turning back to the coffee machine as it gave a telltale gurgle. The machine beeping to indicate it was done just as Alan grabbed up the carafe and moved back to the island in the center of the room, where the women were seated.

Donna helped him pull mugs down from the ceiling mounted pot rack above them then moved to the fridge to get the cream as he poured coffee for each of them.

After taking a sip of the strong, delicious coffee, Sherrie put the cup down carefully, her hands still visibly shaking. “Gerry and I are at our wit’s end with Jared. We’re hoping the move and getting away from all the abuse being piled on our family will help him somehow. If not, I’m afraid we’re gonna lose the sweet, caring boy that we raised.”

“What do you mean?”

“He’s not the same. The doctor says it’s because of the suppressants turning off his rut and numbing his stronger emotions so that he doesn’t snap and go feral.That’s well and good, but it’s also making him into a shell of his former self. He can still function on his own and his grades have never been better. In fact, he’s never been as focused in his studies as he is now. But it’s like there’s this whole new person inside of him --- a person I don’t recognize.”

“Can’t you just take him off the suppressants? I mean, according to Jensen, the supps helped him to get through his heat but after the seventh day, the heat was completely gone. I mean, we’ve all heard of some Hybrids that can go into heat, but none that I know of in mine or Alan’s family, and we asked those in town and as many of them as we could reach by phone.”

“The docs said that an Alpha rut is only triggered when the Alpha has intercourse with his True Mate. So maybe that’s what triggered Jensen.”

“I’ve heard of hybrids true mating before, we all have, but I’ve never seen it and always thought it to be a sort of urban legend. Is Jensen still taking his supps?”

“We’re not sure.”

“Do you think Jensen heard the stories, too, realized what was happening to him and Jared and that’s why he ran?”

“I’m pretty sure that’s why.”

“Oh Goddess, Alan… what if Jensen’s supps are affecting him in the same way and that’s why he’s so cold to us when he calls? I mean, you said it before after the first time he called us. You said he sounded different… standoffish and cold.”

“We need to tell him! Warn him…” Alan exclaimed.

“It won’t matter, Alan… Donna. If he won’t come back and mate with Jared, then he’s gonna have to stay on the suppressants.”

“What… why?! How do you know?”

“We tried twice to get Jared off of them. The first time we cut him off cold turkey. His body shut down and he slipped into a coma. The second time we tried to wean him off of it, he nearly turned feral. It took four Alphas to hold him down so he could be sedated and then put back on the supps. The docs finally said there was nothing they could do unless the Mating Rut is consummated, he said Jared would have to live on supps for the rest of his life.”

“Oh no.” Donna groaned. “Then that means Jensen will have to, also. I’m not only responsible for our son running away from his family, but I’m also the reason why he’ll never be able to have a true mating.”

Sherrie wiped at the tears welling up anew in her own eyes. She then looked at Donna and Alan, sorrow plain in the depths of her eyes.

“You know, Jared used to be quite the budding artist. He loved to draw and paint all the time. Reading and writing were also a passion of his. Now, he has changed up all his studies. Focusing more on academic subjects. He’s given up drawing and writing and before he planned on going to college to study architecture. He now wants to go into business management. When we asked him why, he said… he said…” a sob tore out of the blonde woman, and as if unable to hold back anymore, Donna rushed from the stool she was sitting on to take Sherrie into her arms.

“What did he say, Sherrie?” Alan asked.

“He said he wants to get rich and powerful enough so that nobody will ever be able to hurt him again.”


	12. FORBIDDEN ROMANCE

_”When I look into your eyes there's nothing there to see  
Nothing but my own mistakes staring back at me”_  
\--”"P5hng Me A*wy"” Linkin Park--

****

**_Guam - Southwest Pacific - Mariana Islands, Micronesia US Territory_  
**

 

Cora Duenas watched as her co-worker made her way down the path towards the thatch-roofed 3-walled enclosure that was the unofficial smoking area for the hotel’s employees.

“The guy is a jerk!” Rita Cruz announced as she joined Cora in the enclosure, throwing herself exasperatedly onto one of the three benches provided. She then pulled out a slim pack of Capri menthols and slid out two sticks, passing one to Cora before lighting hers and puffing angrily on it.

“What happened?” the older woman asked as she pulled out her own lighter and lit her cigarette.

“Our plan worked. He was drinking again, so while I was cleaning his bungalow, I got him talking. He was talking about how this Alpha tried to true mate with him and that he knew if his parents found out they’d be horrified and how he wanted to see the world, live some adventures before he’d ever settle down and be an Alpha’s bitch.”

“A forbidden relationship _and_ a true mating? I thought true mating was what everyone wants. I know I’d kill for mine. I’m gonna be thirty soon and all I get are _che’lus_ who care more about fucking, fixing up their trucks and drinking beer with their friends on the weekends.”

“That’s cos’ you always dating the losers in Food & Beverage, told you to try out the guys in Security. Anyways, as for the _haole_ , his whole family’s fucked up. Something about how they all don’t trust Alphas and them being Brids who are too good to bend over and take a knot. They sound stuck up, ya know?”

“So he up and left his Alpha?! Poor Alpha. What about why he’s been staying here for months, by himself? The bungalows aren’t cheap and he doesn’t look old enough to be out of high school.

“Nah, he’s 18. Checked his wallet when he went into the kitchen for another beer. Also saw his computer on the desk. He’s doing online high school courses.”

“So he probably ran while still in school. Poor kid.”

“Poor kid?! He said his Alpha was younger than him, I’d feel more sorry for the Alpha.”

“What’s got you all pissed? Did he do something to you?”

“No, it’s more like what he didn’t do.”

Cora frowned, then her face cleared in understanding. She then reached out to slap the back of Rita’s head, lightly.

“Ow! Cor, what the fuck?!” Rita whined while rubbing the back of her head.

“You hit on him and he turned you down and that’s why you’re being all _agu’gua_! How many times I gotta tell you to stop fraternizing with the customers! I recommended you for this job, and I swear, if you make me look bad I’m gonna kick your skinny ass!”

“I’m sorry! It won’t happen again!”

“It better not! Or I’m telling your mom what you been up to.”

“C’mon Cora! I couldn’t help it, I mean, you _have_ seen him, right? He’s fuckin’ beautitful!”

“Hey, hey who’s fighting in here?” came a male voice from the other side of the enclosure. Their supervisor, Ken Lujan, stuck his peroxide bleached head around the edge of the opening and grinned mischievously at the two women. “Are you two gossiping again? What have I said about gossiping about the customers?”

“Never to do it when you’re not around to join in?” answered Rita with a grin. “Get in here, girlfriend!”

In his usual flamboyant way, Ken clapped his hands excitedly and pranced the rest of the way to where the two women were sitting. “Oh goody, I know you two are talking about that hot hunk of green-eyed man-meat in the Aqua House, so dish bitches, tell me all!”

Cora shook her head even as she smiled with affection at the young man. “Rita can tell you all about it but first let me tell my news about Aqua Hunk. My break’s almost up and I have to go.”

“Aqua Hunk, Aqua Man… both work.” Ken giggled.

Cora shushed him with a wave of her hand then spoke softly, forcing the other two to lean in so they could hear her. “I spoke to Timo who worked the bar last night, until 3am. Aqua Man was there getting drunk again. He kept going on and on about his beautiful Alpha, his True Mate. Then he was talking about leaving next week for college but then he’d have to lay off the booze and go back on suppressants.”

“Suppressants?!” Rita exclaimed. “Come to think of it, I _did_ see a large prescription bottle in his medicine cabinet but I couldn’t get a good look ‘cos he wanted to take a shower and asked me to leave and clean the rest of the place tomorrow.”

“Was that before or after you tried to seduce him?” Cora asked, biting back a giggle of her own.

“RITA! You shameless slut!” Ken shouted, and as Rita began to shout back excuses, Cora made her escape and left the enclosure.

As she reached the top of the hill and the cobbled walkway that led back to the employee entrance, Cora paused to look to her left, towards the beachside, easily spotting the large, white VIP bungalow with the bluish-green shutters. She blinked back the sympathetic tears welling in her large, brown eyes and sighed. 

“Oh, those poor boys.” Cora frowned sadly. “What foolishness could’ve happened to cause this? I only hope Aqua Man and his Alpha Boy get their act together, soon.”

 

+++++++++++++++++++++

 

Jared ignored the jeers and derisive comments thrown at him as he and Chad made their way off the bus.

Jared tightened his hold on Chad’s arm when the smaller boy made a move to turn around. “Leave it.” he said.

“Dude! You can’t just let them walk all over you! Get back in there and kick all their asses! Even that smirking bus driver’s!”

Jared pulled Chad with him as he continued walking across the parking lot, heading for the main entrance of the school. He knew Chad had a point. By not retaliating he was just losing more Alpha cred with his fellow classmates, but Jared couldn’t find it in himself to care. He wasn’t going to be in this town much longer to even bother making an effort. But he knew that even if he and his family weren’t leaving town for good, he still wouldn’t have cared what anyone thought of him. Not his classmates, his teachers, or his neighbors who’d watched him grow up.

The only people he felt even an ounce of regard for, were his family and the little blonde omega at his side. He corrected his thoughts as he spotted the petite brunette beta making her way down the school steps towards them. Sandy, too. Jared found that when he thought of the cheerleader, he cared, even if just a little, what she thought of him.

“Hey guys, running a little late this morning?” said Sandy as she met up with them at the bottom of the long steps then turned to follow them back up.

“Chad almost got us kicked off the bus.”

“Those assholes were laying into Jared again so I told them where to shove it.” Chad growled. “Then that jerk of a bus driver pulled over and threatened to kick Jared and me out! Like we’re the ones that started it!”

“I told you not to say anything, Chad.” Jared said, calmly. “I can fight my own fights.”

“But you don’t! So if I don’t fight for you, who will?!”

Sandy smiled at the loyal omega and reached over to pat him on the shoulder. They were the only friends she had left. All of their friends had abandoned them when they refused to shun Jared. In fact, if she wasn’t the captain and damned good at her job, she would’ve been ousted from the cheerleaders, as well as the clique she usually hung out with.

“Is that why you’ve been biking to the motel Jared and his family moved to after they sold their house? So that you could ride the bus with him?”

“Yeah, that’s what best buds do. They lend a hand.” Chad answered, firmly. “Speaking of hands, can you let go of me now, Big J? That monster grip of yours is starting to hurt.”

“Sorry.” Jared said, as he released Chad and the Omega rubbed his arm to return the circulation to it.

When they were mid-way up the long steps Jared spotted a group of football players horsing around to the left of the main doors. When a few of them turned and caught sight of him, Jared knew trouble was coming his way again. Inwardly, he sighed. It’d been months since Jensen left him, Jared couldn’t understand why people just couldn’t move on to other scandals or juicy gossip.

As he and his friends drew closer to the rowdy group, Jared reminded himself to let them throw the first punch. He had a new goal in life now, and having a reputation for starting fights was not something that would look good on his record. When Chad and Sandy went quiet he knew they’d also sensed trouble and he didn’t have to look at Chad to know that familiar mulish expression was settling on the Omega’s face.

“Don’t do it.” Jared warned Chad.

“They’re not worth getting in trouble, again, Chad.” Sandy said, backing up Jared, but when he glanced at her, he could see her expression was just as thunderous as Chad’s.

Just then, the front doors to the school opened and out walked Christian and Osric.

Christian eyed the football players as he calmly slipped brass knuckles onto both hands. “Anyone wants to mess with Padalecki will have to go through me, first.”

“Also… if any of you still want hookups for free booze from me, you’d better back off of Jared, as of NOW!” Osric added, eyes narrowed and dark.

Christian wasn’t that big of a Were but he had a reputation for being a vicious fighter and anyone who knew him and had any brains in their heads usually avoided a scuffle with him. But Osric was known to kick some ass with his martial arts training as well, and losing his favor for free alcohol was tantamount to social ruin for most of the upperclassmen at Singer High.

Tom, who’d been standing at the back of the group of football players stepped out from their midst with Mike at his side, and held his hands up in a placating fashion. “Hey, hey Chris… Oz… we’re all cool here. We’re leaving, okay? No harm, no foul.”

Jared and his small band of friends watched as Tom and the football team he captained walked off, grumbling to themselves.

Just before they turned the corner, Tom looked back at them, his gaze settling on Sandy, regret plain in his blue eyes.

“Traitor!” Sandy hissed at him.

Tom frowned, sighed then turned to follow his team.

“You can’t blame him, Sandy.”

“Like _hell_ I can’t! He was our friend! Part of our pack. He turned his back on us because he’s so worried about what his jerk football friends will think!”

“No, he had to make a choice between the football scholarship he’s counting on to get him out of here and me, some freshman kid he just barely met. He didn’t know that his choice would cost him his friendship with all of you.”

“He’s still an asshole.” Osric muttered.

“No, he was just being practical. He doesn’t have the GPA you, Sandy and I have, and Chris and Chad could care less if they go to college or not. You guys were friends with him for a long time. You should make up with him.”

“He was never my friend.” Chad grumbled.

“Well, except you. You, he’d probably beat into a pulp if he ever got to really know you.” Jared said, matter-of-factly, not meaning it as a joke but causing the others to laugh, nonetheless.

“When do you leave?” Christian asked, his laughter dying before the others.

“End of the week. My mother and sister will be flying there Friday evening, my brother, father and I will be driving there with our car and the moving truck early, Saturday morning.”

The group followed Jared and Chad to their lockers, expecting to ward off snide comments and derisive looks by other students, but it seemed as if the word about Chris’ and Oz’s threats had spread fast. No one bothered them.

Sandy stared at Jared’s placid features as he switched the books in his backpack for the ones in his locker.

“None of that bothered you, did it?”

Jared paused trying to slip his Were History book into his bag to look down at Sandy’s worried face. “No, not really.”

“Before, even something like that, any kind of fight, would’ve had you upset.”

“Yeah, I know.” Jared agreed, then shrugged, and finished sliding his book in his bag and shutting the door to his locker. “It didn’t bother me, at all. Maybe there is a good side to the suppressants. Maybe now I can finally be the Alpha everyone expects me to be.”

“No, Jared! I liked the Alpha you used to be. _He_ is the one I grew to admire and want to be friends with, not this Robo-Jared you got going on now.”

Jared just blinked at her, unsure what to say.

“Sandz, he can’t help it.” Chad said, softly. “It’s the supps…”

“The supps! I KNOW! I just wish Jensen was back home so I could kick his ass and so you can throw that junk out and never take them again!”

“Hey! It’s not Jensen’s fault, either! He can’t help the way he was raised. And let’s face it, none of us really did anything to try and make him think otherwise, we just kept ignoring his attitude and his biased ways, never calling him out on it, even if we all knew better.”

Sandy seemed to deflate as her head dropped and she gave a sad sigh. Chad’s lower lip trembled as he went to her side and wrapped an arm around her huddled form. Despite the way they sometimes snarked at each other, Chad liked the beta and considered her a friend.

Sandy raised her head to smile her gratitude at Chad then looked at Chris and Osric who were sending her sad, sympathetic smiles of their own. But when she looked at Jared, she caught him sighing wearily as if he were bored while his eyes wandered about the hall as if looking for an escape route.

Face crumpling with despair, Sandy sobbed loudly then turned and ran down the hall, disappearing into the girl’s restroom.

Chad reached out and slapped Jared’s arm. Hard.

“Ouch. Why did you do that?” Jared said, a slight frown on his face.

“I just wanted to make sure you could actually _feel something_.”

“You have less than a week before you leave this town, the home you grew up in, all of your friends. Don’t you feel any bit of sadness, Jared?” Osric asked, earnestly.

Jared blinked at him for a couple seconds as if thinking about it, but eventually he just shook his head. His normally bright hazel eyes dark and cold. “No, I don’t feel a thing. But I think, in the long run, it’s the best thing for me right now. As long as I can’t feel a thing, _no one_ can ever hurt me again.”

Chris frowned as he considered Jared’s words. He completely understood why Jared would think having no strong emotions would be a benefit in some ways, but Christian could also see how it was changing Jared - and not in a good way.

Unknown to everyone else, Jensen had called Chris shortly after he’d left town. He’d asked him to let his parents know he was alright and that he was going to see a doctor later that day about his unwanted heat. He’d also promised to give Chris weekly calls to keep in touch. 

At first, Chris had tried to talk Jensen into coming back and accepting his true mate, but as the weeks went by, Jensen seemed to lose more and more patience for any topic that included Jared. So much so, that Chris sensed that Jensen would cease his weekly calls if Chris kept pushing and so Chris had stopped.

Jensen’s doctor had also prescribed him suppressants and now Chris was worried that they could be doing to Jensen what Jared’s suppressants were doing to his best friend. 

Most worrying of all, during their last call Jensen had told Chris that large amounts of alcohol also worked to suppress his heat. So which was the lesser of two evils for the green-eyed hybrid?

Turning into a cold-hearted bastard or a drunk who had no control over his own body, let alone his thoughts, feelings and sound judgement when he’s soused all the time?

When Jensen goes to college in the Fall, they’d made plans for Chris to meet him out in California. The plan was that Chris would find them a house off-campus so that after Jensen served his time in the Freshmen dorms then he would move off campus for his Sophomore year and on.

With how fast things went downhill since that fateful night at the Rosenbaum house, Chris wasn’t sure about anything anymore. All he knew was that as soon as his high school diploma was in his hands, he was packing what he could carry, emptying his savings and heading to Guam to drag Jensen off to college.

Because even if Chris could care less about furthering his own education, he knew for damn sure that Jensen did, and there was no way in hell he was going to let Jensen ruin it by descending into alcoholism and denial.

He felt better now that he had a plan to follow. Now all he had to do was figure out where in the world is Guam!


	13. LAS VEGAS

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've been getting some criticism for 'baiting' you all by not putting up all the tags this story might have needed. 
> 
> I didn't put up some tags in the interest of not spoiling anyone, but apparently some readers were upset w/ me for not giving them heads up that Jensen could bottom in this story, and they really don't like that.
> 
> I, myself, don't see a problem as to who bottoms or tops when it comes to reading or writing fics, but respect those who have their preference and adhere to it.
> 
> But, because I don't care one way or the other and even enjoy it when they switch it up now and then, I didn't foresee a problem and got tagged myself, for it. So I am sorry if any of you felt like I was baiting you, but that was never my intention.
> 
> I don't care whether you like top Jensen only or top Jared... that's YOUR choice. I would never bait anyone to mock them or to 'teach them a lesson'. Everything I do on here is purely for the stories I write and no other reason.

 

_”So concerned with what you think to just say what we feel inside  
So many people like me walk on eggshells all day long  
All I know is that all I want is to feel like I'm not stepped on  
”_  
“--Hit the Floor--” Linkin Park

**_Twelve Years Later…_ **

 

It was ten o’clock on a Wednesday morning and the main strip of Las Vegas was already clogged with locals, tourists and businessmen and women.

Jensen could always tell the tourists by the way they dressed and how they moved. Tourists were there to take in the sights and sounds of the famous city and were in no real hurry to get anywhere. They almost always preferred cargo shorts, baseball caps and tee shirts. Even some of the women.

The typical adult in Vegas usually worked at two or more jobs and was almost always rushing from one job to another. They were also generally dressed in some type of uniform - everything from brightly colored fast food ensembles to women in high heels and shiny, skimpy costumes - and always interesting whenever he took the time to just sit around and people watch.

The ‘business folk’ looked and acted exactly as he labeled them in his mind. Dressed in a variety of power suits, bluetooth earpieces, and sunglasses on their faces, perched on top of their heads, or tucked into a breast pocket. About half of them lived and worked in Vegas, but most were people like him - visiting the city on a business matter.

Jensen drove the black Lexus rental ten minutes past the strip then pulled into a small two-story parking garage attached to a five-story building with big, reflective, narrow windows. The facade was made up of a rough-hewn, sandstone-looking material which gave the entire building the look of a sandcastle built by some giant, sitting right on the edge of town with the sands of the desert as its backdrop.

Across the street was a small, L-shaped retail mall that housed a beauty shop, clothing store, tattoo parlor, and a pharmacy. Next to it was a gas station-slash-diner and last in line, right next door, was one of many motels in Vegas. This one looked quaint, but well-kept, with white siding, blue shuttered windows and a parking lot. It was sectioned off with landscaped islands holding hardy desert cacti, large and small, some bearing flowers. In the middle of the turnaround - in front of what Jensen guessed was the main office - was a large, wide magnolia tree that was probably what gave the place its name. Magnolia Inn.

Jensen figured that if what he was in town for went well, he’d get a room there.

Jensen received his stub from the parking attendant and drove up to the second level as instructed, pulling his car into a spot close to the elevator. Just as he put the car in park, his phone - sitting dashboard mount provided - lit up and began playing the chorus to Kenny Rogers’ ‘The Gambler’.

 

_You got to know when to hold ‘em  
Know when to fold ‘em  
Know when to walk away  
Know when to run…_

 

Jensen grinned and hit the button on the steering wheel to answer the call and put it on speaker.

“Hey Chris. I just got here, but I still got about ten minutes. What’s up?”

“Just checking in. Oz and I are packed and ready to go; we should be there by eight, nine o’clock tonight. Also, the check from Morgan Pharmaceuticals arrived. JD sends his regards and gave us each a bonus for a job well done. With that bonus, a trip to Vegas couldn’t have come at a better time.”

“You’ve gotta know when to hold ‘em and fold ‘em, Chris. You get paid way too much to still be living paycheck to paycheck.”

“Aw man, don’t tell me you still got that cruddy song as my ringtone! And I put that last big payout in the bank like you told me didn’t I? Get off my back, Jenny.” Chris grumbled.

Jensen just laughed.

“Hey, how are you feeling?”

“Chris! Quit it with the mother hen impersonation. I’m _fine_!”

“Hey! It wasn’t too long ago when I walked in and found you crying your eyes out while watching Old Yeller!”

“We _BOTH_ cried when we first watched it, so don’t even try to act all tough, now.”

“We were eight!” Chris sniggered.

“Shut up.”

“Seriously, Jen. How are you feeling? It’s only been a couple months since you changed your supps, and then to lower the dosage as much as you did.”

“I’m still feeling like myself, if that’s what you’re asking, and I’ve got a better hold of my emotions now. Stop worrying. I’m ready for this. It’s time I set things right.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone ok? I know we jumped MANY years but it's what came to me when I was given my bingo card, and I've learned to never ignore my muse when she's pushing ideas at me. :D Hope you're all still enjoying the ride. 
> 
> I know this was a short chapter, but don't worry. Next chapter will be coming soon.


	14. OFFICE AU

_”You say the weight of the world  
Has kept you from letting go  
And you think compassion's a flaw  
And you'll never let it show”_  
“Robot Boy” - Linkin Park

The moment Jensen stepped into the small, yet tastefully decorated, lobby of Tristana Transit LLC, his skin prickled at the nearly arctic air being pumped into the room from unobtrusive vents set into the high ceiling.

A slim young man with close-cropped brown hair wearing a dark blue polo with ‘Tristana Transit’ embroidered on the upper right side of his shirt, tan slacks and dark brown dress shoes walked over to Jensen with one hand outstretched and a welcoming smile on his face.

“Mr. Ross… welcome to Tristana Transit. We’ve been expecting you. My name is Daniel, I’m the First Secretary under Mrs. Lopez who will be meeting with you shortly. If you’ll follow me to the small conference room?”

Jensen followed Daniel to the elevators and rode up to the top floor. When the doors opened, Jensen was greeted with an amazing view of the desert in all its stark beauty. One entire wall was made completely of glass and sitting right in front of this vast expanse of glass was a dark wood desk with a simple flat screen monitor, mouse and telephone. All in black. And again, the air was freezing cold.

That’s when Jensen noticed that everyone he could see, other than Daniel, was wearing clothing more suited to places like New York, Chicago - hell, even Alaska, maybe.

Daniel led him down a wide hallway to the right. All of the offices had glass doors that allowed Jensen to glance in as he walked past. Right away, he noticed that there were coat racks inside of every office but the people inside the offices were in lighter, more comfortable looking clothing.

When they were nearing the end of the hall, Jensen spotted a large, double-sided door, bevel cut mahogany he guessed, and the only door not made of glass. Before reaching the end of the hall, Daniel paused at a glass door with the words ‘CONFERENCE ROOM B’ stenciled on the glass.

“Here we are.” Daniel said, waiting for Jensen to go in before him.

The room had a typical set up with a long table in the center, chairs positioned all around it, a buffet to the side that held one of those fancy coffee machines that probably made more than just coffee. He was happy to see that machine, having only had two cups when he’d gotten up that morning. But the best thing about the room was the comfortable cool temperature, unlike the lobby or the waiting area and halls.

“May I take your coat?” Daniel asked, and when Jensen turned around, he saw that Daniel was standing at a neat row of hooks set into the wall to the right of the door.

Jensen couldn’t help but ask. “I’m sorry, but what is with the Antarctic temps in the common areas? Is the AC on the fritz or something?”

Daniel laughed, then shrugged. “It’s by demand of the CEO. He likes any section of the building that he frequents to be kept very cold at all times.”

“How do any of you manage to get any work done here?!”

“We adapt or we leave. I am allowed to wear a heavy jacket at my station, the desk in front of the big windows we passed when we came out of the elevators, but when I’m escorting guests I have to represent the company properly. Now, would you care for a cappuccino? Or a latte?”

“I’d love a plain coffee, one sugar. Thank you.”

Daniel served Jensen then left after assuring him that Mrs. Lopez would be with him shortly.

Jensen was only standing at the large window, savoring the expensive blend of coffee for a few minutes when the door behind him whooshed open. Turning, he smiled at the svelte little brunette dressed in a deep red two-piece skirt and jacket ensemble with a black silk blouse underneath, nude stockings and sensible black pumps with two-inch heels on her feet.

“Holy fuck, Ackles! How in the world did you manage to get hotter while all the rest of us just held on as much as we could as we aged?!”

Jensen’s smile widened, the laugh lines at the corners of his eyes only serving to enhance his features rather than detracting from it. “Quit your BS, McCoy. You know you’re still a little hottie.”

“It’s Lopez, you fucker. I’m a happily married and mated woman now. Now get your skinny ass over here and give me a hug!”

Chuckling, Jensen set his coffee on the conference table then moved to meet Sandy at the head of the table. “I’ll have you know that I have an exceptionally nice ass, Mrs. Lopez.”

Instead of hugging him, Sandry grabbed him by his upper arms and turned him in place. She eyed his ass for a second or two before turning him back around.

“Damn, you’re right. That is one _fine_ ass!” she laughed before throwing herself into his arms and hugging him. “God, I thought if I ever talked to or saw you again that I’d kill you, but I’ve just missed you so much.”

“I’m sorry, Sandz.”

“Hey, what I said when you first called me almost a month ago still stands. I got over all that anger and bitterness. I’m just glad to hear from you again. It does no one any good and I should know. I’ve been watching Jared sink lower and lower as time goes by.”

Jensen’s smile slipped, a frown forming on his face. “How bad is he?”

“Pretty bad, Jenny. Chad and I are all he has left, and even then, there were times we both considered walking out on him. He barely even speaks to his family anymore.”

“Sorry to hear about his family. They seemed really close, before. Chad… he’s that feisty little omega that was always with Jared. Are they…?” Jensen felt he had to ask. Surprised at the surge of jealousy that rolled through him.

It was ridiculous to feel any jealousy considering all that Sandy has told him over the phone for the past couple of weeks.

She’d told him in detail how Jared and his entire family moved to Vegas where Jared finished off high school. Then of how they’d met up again at Brown and how Sandy had spent a good deal of her time there trying to keep him from going completely ‘Dark Side’ as she liked to call it. Jensen suspected that hanging with Jared all these years had turned her into a bit of a nerd, but he found it endearing.

She’d kept track of all of Jared’s bed partners and run interference whenever Jared would eventually disappoint or outright break the hearts of the guys he got involved with. Almost every single one of them wanting more of a relationship with Jared, but Jared unable to give it to them or not caring enough to even try.

Apparently, Jared’s sex life in college was very active and when they graduated and came back to Vegas to start Jared’s business it hadn’t slowed down, just got more elaborate.

“I know I should’ve asked this on the phone weeks ago and before I agreed to this crazy plan of yours, but…” Sandy hedged.

“But?”

“What exactly are your intentions, Jensen?”

Jensen chuckled then grinned. It quickly died as he noticed Sandy wasn’t laughing and was staring at him with one raised brow.

“You’re serious?”

“Very. Don’t think I’ve forgotten how you treated him back in high school. If you’re only here to assuage your own guilt, then leave now and send him a postcard.”

Just then, the door to the room opened again and a handsome Alpha with brown hair, blue eyes, and a well-trimmed beard walked in the room.

“Oh, there you are. It’s about time.”

“Sorry, uh, things ran a little longer than anticipated.”

“Jensen Ackles, this is Ty Olsson. Tristana’s CFO and a good friend to Jared, Chad and myself. He’s been with us since the start of the company and pretty much invited himself into our little circle.” Sandra laughed as she grabbed Ty and pulled him closer.

When she turned back to Jensen she gasped when she saw her old friend standing there, whole body tense, face stony with lips drawn back in a blatant snarl. His green eyes had darkened and were staring daggers at Ty.

“I don’t give a fuck who you are! I just wanna know why you have my mate’s scent all over you?!”


	15. FREE SPACE - Got O?

_”Maybe someday I'll be just like you  
And step on people like you do  
And run away of the people I thought I knew  
I remember back then who you were.”_  
“A Place For My Head” - Linkin Park

Chad sat on the granite counter of the center island in Sandy’s large kitchen, snatching green grapes from the fruit salad she was making, swinging his bare feet back and forth, looking like a child.

“So when are they getting here?”

“Jensen left for the airport over an hour ago, so I’m expecting them at any time, now.”

“It would be so cool to see Oz again! It’s been so long.” Chad gushed as he snatched a whole strawberry before Sandy could slice it up, laughing and catching the blueberry she threw at him.

“What about Chris? You’re not gonna be happy to see Chris?”

“Why would I? He’s just as bad as Jensen.”

“I seem to recall you and Chris hitting it off really well at that party. Before things all went to shit, that is.”

“Well, _after_ things all went to shit, he didn’t follow up. So whatever, his loss.”

Just then the glass sliding door opened and Ty stepped into the dining room, adjacent to the kitchen. “Hey Sandz, your hubby’s asking for the big blue platter.”

At that moment, the doorbell sounded from the front of the house.

“Oh, that must be them. Chad, can you let them in while I get that platter for Ty?”

“Sure, hon.”

Chad hopped off the counter then practically skipped through the house until he reached the foyer. He opened the front door with a flourish then leaned against it with one hand on his cocked hip. He knew he looked good in the cutoff denim shorts that were midway up his thigh, a sleeveless bright red tee with ‘GOT O?’ in large, white print down the front and highlighted blonde hair in carefully styled spikes.

Chad directed his best smile at Osric, completely ignoring Jensen and Chris, then leaned out to drag the surprised beta into the house. Slinging one arm around the shoulders of the smaller man, Chad started gabbing with him as he left Jensen and Chris to let themselves in.

Both men couldn’t help but drop their eyes to Chad’s ass as the omega swung it provocatively, the denim cupping his cheeks just right. Jensen grinned when he heard Chris gulp noisily.

“Look at his shirt.” said Jensen, biting back a smile.

Chris looked then huffed, indignantly.

On the bottom half of Chad’s tight shirt were more words in smaller, yet just as visible print, with a big blocky arrow pointing towards the beta’s pert ass.

‘BACK OFF, DAWG  
NO SNIFFING ALLOWED!’

Jensen laughed harder when Chris had to adjust himself in his pants before preceding Jensen into the house.

“Damn Omega.” Chris muttered.

 

**++++++++++++++++++++**

 

By the time they were done with dinner and had helped Sandy and her husband Brian to clean up, they grabbed what drinks they were currently nursing and gathered around the dining room table. Brian and Sandy taking the seats at either end.

“Okay, guess I’ll start.” Sandy said, taking on a professional demeanor Jensen had never seen in her.

“Just to catch us all up. Almost three weeks ago, Jensen got a hold of me and told me about this new suppressant that Morgan Pharmaceuticals created that will replace the supps used today. It’s going through last stage testing and they’re waiting on the patent to come through.”

She then nodded at Jensen to continue.

“Chris, Oz and I were hired by Morgan himself to look into a possible mole in his company because a part of the research had been stolen by a hacker that must’ve had inside help.”

“Did you catch them?” asked Brian, eagerly.

“Don’t mind him.” Sandy laughed. “He’s really into those shows about fighting crime with technology and forensics.”

Chris scoffed. “Except for everyone looking like supermodels, some of those shows are pretty accurate. But sometimes they’re also full of shit. I only watched it for the hot blonde.” he finished with a smug grin and a wink at Sandy.

“The hot blonde guy or the hot blonde girl?” Chad cut in with a cold smile.

“Excuse me?”

“Well, I was just wondering if it was the guy or the girl that you liked. You weren’t very picky back in high school so it’s hard to tell sometimes. Or was it both considering what a man-whore you are.”

“CHAD!” Sandy gasped in shock.

“WHO IN THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!!” Jensen shouted, jumping to his feet.

“Jensen, don’t!” Chris said, coldly, as he reached out to lay one hand on Jensen’s arm. Trying to calm his best friend.

Jensen was shaking, obviously fighting to control his temper. He finally sat back down, but continued glaring at Chad. However, Chad was too caught up in staring defiantly back at Chris with his jaw tense, eyes narrowed and refusing to look away from the black-haired Hybrid.

It was Osric who finally snapped Chad out of his staring contest with Chris. “Dude, that was pretty harsh. Even from you.”

Chad’s blue eyes shot to Osric then to everyone else around the table. “I… I’m sorry. I b-better go.”

With that, Chad rushed out of the dining room, heading for the hall closet to retrieve his coat. Sandy following him every step of the way.

“What was _that_?” she hissed, trying not to yell.

“I don’t know! I guess it was just some pent up leftover emotions.”

“I thought you were over Chris Kane.”

“I _am_!”

“It sure doesn’t seem like it to me, or anyone else at that table, _including_ Chris, himself!”

“I know!” Chad hissed back. He yanked open a door near the main entrance and walked into the deep closet to search the surprisingly large amount of coats hanging inside.

“Come on, don’t leave. We need you if this plan is gonna work. _Jared_ needs you.”

Giving up the search for his jacket, Chad sighed then turned to stare morosely at his longtime friend. “Fine. But keep that urban cowboy reject away from me. Apparently, I’m still mad at him and there’s no telling what I could do to him.”

“You mean there’s some things you two _still_ haven’t done?” Sandy threw back as she turned and darted out of the closet.

“Haha… very funny!”

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

“Okay! Now that we’re all calmed down, let’s get back to the plan. Um, Jensen if you don’t mind finishing what you were saying?”

“Before I was _rudely_ interrupted? Sure.” Jensen grumbled, shooting one last dark look at Chad.

“The short story of it all is that we found not one, but two moles in Morgan’s company. In the weeks of working with Jeffrey Morgan, he ended up learning that I’d been on supps for a good part of my life. He then told me about the new suppressants that were on the last stages of Were trials. He asked if I wanted to join and if they worked for me, then he’d make sure I’d have a constant supply until they passed FDA approval and were patented, marketed and put out there for public use.”

“Wow, that’s very generous of J.D. Morgan, but reckless of you.” Brian cut in, brow furrowed with concern. “What if the drug had adversely affected you in some way?”

“ _That’s_ what I said!” Chris interjected.

“The supps I was _already_ taking had been adversely affecting me for over ten years. I thought it was worth the risk.”

“Anyway… after taking it for two months and finding that it worked perfectly, I contacted Sandy to see if she’d help me to get Jared on them and help me to reconnect with him.”

“Which she didn’t bother to tell me about until _yesterday_!” Chad muttered, shooting Sandy an exasperated look.

“I’m sorry, sweety. But we both know you couldn’t keep a secret to save your life. Jared would only have to take one look at you to know something is up and then you also have no backbone when it comes to Jared. You’ve would’ve spilled all in under five minutes.”

“Look.” Brian spoke, for the first time. “My wife filled me all in on what was going on and I trust and support her no matter what, but I have to go on the record here and say I’m still not sure about all this.”

“What are your concerns?” asked Ty, blue eyes shining with sincerity.

“I’m not down with all this ‘drugging your boss without his knowledge then setting him up with the guy who dumped him and turned him into the cold monster he is’ in the first place. But what if this crazy plan backfires and he ends up hating you all for doing this?”

Wringing her hands worriedly, Sandy dropped her head and stared morosely at the top of the dining table. “Honey, you know I’m not completely happy about all this, too. But you didn’t know Jared before. You never met the carefree, loving, and happy boy he used to be. If you did, you’d be doing all you could to try and get him back too.”

“I didn’t know Jared before the supps, either.” Ty added. “We only met in college. But even back then he still had some of his former warmth and charisma. It was what drew me to him as a love interest and when I realized he could never love anyone, then as a friend. But as the years went by I could see him getting colder and colder as he slowly but surely stopped caring about others.”

“We knew it was only a matter of time before he stopped caring completely, even about us, his closest friends. His little sister Megan recently met and mated her true mate. Jared just found out that they’re expecting their first pup soon and it sent him into a tailspin.” 

Chad planted his elbows on the table and leaned in to stare at Brian, then at Jensen; face tense, lips thinned. “He’s been getting more and more reckless recently. Drinking like a fish. Doing heavier drugs, when it used to be only a joint every now and then. He’s going to leather orgies with shady fuckers. Then about a month ago, he spent a couple days in jail for hitting a cop. We. Are. _Losing_. Him!”

Sandy looked up and pinned Jensen with a look of such sadness that it caused a prickling at the back of his own eyes. Blinking rapidly, to hold back his own tears, Jensen cleared his throat then leaned on the table too.

“So what’s the rest of the plan?”

It was Ty that spoke, all eyes turning to him as he pulled a large, shiny, red envelope from the pocket of his jacket which was hanging on the back of his chair. He slid it across to Jensen who picked it up, opened the flap, and pulled out a black and red party invitation. “This is the plan.” Ty said.

“Is this for one of those orgies?!” Jensen asked, brow cocked.

“Jared has been noticing that his emotions are coming back. He had Sandy make an appointment to see his doctor, just four days after she swapped out his old supps with the new ones.”

“He did?! Why didn’t you tell me?!” Jensen exclaimed. “I could’ve been here sooner! Is he back on them now?!”

“Relax. She was able to postpone his appointment by ‘accidentally’ scheduling an important meeting for the same day. Then, I was able to forestall his second appointment with a financial problem we’ve been having. I told him that someone has been stealing money from the company and that we needed professionals like the company you work for to find the culprit. He approved it but is letting me handle it, so you don’t have to worry about meeting him before the plan goes into action.”

“Wait, so there _is_ an embezzler in your company?” asked Osric.

Ty grinned. “Yep… me. I’ve been funneling ten, twenty thousand here and there to one of Jared’s offshore accounts, which he doesn’t check, so technically, I’m not actually stealing from him. Just shifting his money about.”

Osric cackled. “Sneaky. Me like.”

Ty winked at him, Osric smirked, but didn’t break eye contact.

Jensen rolled his eyes then cut in. “Yeah, yeah… good job. But what I wanna know is why Jared’s scent was all over you when we first met. You never did explain that to me.”

Sandy cut in, with a nervous laugh. “I told you, already. Ty had just left Jared’s office that time.”

“Sandy, he might as well know.”

“Know _what_?!” Jensen gritted out, a cold knot forming in his gut.

“Jared’s scent was all over me ‘cos I’d just come from having sex with him in his office. We’ve been fuck buddies since college. We’re not exclusive or anything, but every now and then when one of us gets the urge and it’s convenient, we fuck him and…OOF!”

The rest of Ty’s words were cut off as Jensen launched himself across the table and tackled Ty to the ground. Fists flying as he roared in rage. The sound of the blood rushing in his veins blotting out the sounds of the others as Sandy pleaded with him to stop, Chad calling him names, and the rest of the guys’ voices melding into a jumble. All Jensen knew was that this blue-eyed Alpha had touched what was _his_!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still with me? Hang in there, y'all. Not much longer 'til Jensen sees Jared again - in person. Just one more short chapter, in fact. ;)


	16. NETFLIX & CHILL

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait, peepz! I had another fic challenge that was due and I didn't want to fall short on it like I did with this one. But it's done and I can now turn my attention back here and finish off this fic, as I promised I would. Not many chapters left to go... I'm excited!
> 
> As a little thank you for all your patience, look forward to seeing a timestamp for one of my other fics posted this coming Sunday 11/25. I won't say which fic, I'll let that be a surprise for y'all. :)

_”Let me apologize to begin with_  
Let me apologize for what I'm about to say  
But trying to regain your trust was harder than it seemed  
And somehow I got caught up in between.”  
“In Between” - Linkin Park

_Approximately fifteen minutes before Jensen arrives at Tristana…_

Ty dropped his head onto the back of the black leather couch in Jared’s office, gasping to catch his breath. “Damn son, that was intense. Were you trying to kill me?”

Jared huffed as he left the small washroom attached to his office. “Did I wear you out, old man?”

Ty chuckled as he pulled some wipes from the box on the table near the couch and wiped his crotch and lower abs before tucking himself back into his pants and doing up the zipper and button.

“Don’t get me wrong, Jay. You’ve always been a good lay but what brought this on? You haven’t come on to me in months. Your latest beefcake not doing it for you anymore?”

“Eh, Leo and I called it quits a week ago. He was getting clingy. But that’s not why I asked you to fuck me today. I’ve just been restless, lately. Thought maybe an Olsson Special would settle me but it didn’t.”

“Ouch, Jay. Some tact would be appreciated.”

“Sorry.”

“No you’re not.”

“I was just being honest, man.”

“I know. Just as you were honest with Leo, right? What was he? Your fourth one this year? Did you at least let him go nicely this time?”

“They all knew what they were getting into with me. I laid it all out for them from the beginning. I never promised them more and in fact discouraged them from wanting more with me. Not my fault if they thought otherwise.”

“Do you even miss any of them? Some of them held out for months. Leo was the longest at three months. Do you miss him at all?”

Jared shot Ty a questioning look as he rounded his desk to retake his seat behind it, his mind already back on the paperwork he’d been going through before Ty had shown up to drop off some files. “What’s your big concern for Leo all of a sudden? Did you want a go at him, too? I can give you his number, he might accept, as a rebound thing.”

“You can be such an unimaginable bastard sometimes, Jay. No, I don’t want his number or be his rebound. You know I prefer to top. Has he cleared out of the loft already? Do you need me to send him packing and have the place cleaned and ready for your next one?”

“Nah, Sandy already did it, but thanks, man.”

“That reminds me. I gotta meet up with her to go over a project we’re working on, talk to ya later.”

Jared didn’t even look up when he left, totally missing the knowing smirk on Ty’s handsome face. 

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

_Now…_

 

“Why are you sitting with me?” Chad complained, squirming uncomfortably in the curved loveseat, trying to avoid pressing up against the heated warmth of the hybrid next to him.

“No space anywhere else. Unless you want me to sit on the cold, hard floor.”

“Sandy and Brian’s house is anything but cold, plus we’re in Vegas. I doubt you’ll freeze.” Chad snapped.

“Shusssh!” Sandy whispered, from where she was curled up against her husband on the big couch, with Jensen at the other end holding a bag of frozen peas to his jaw. He was shooting glares at Ty, who was cuddled up to Osric in the other matching loveseat directly across from Chad and Chris. Osric was holding a bag of frozen corn to Ty’s eye and was basically babying the grizzled Alpha.

Chad hmphed, turning his gaze back to the immense TV mounted on the wall above the small, brick fireplace, trying to ignore Chris and concentrate on the show.

After the fight had been broken up, Sandy, and surprisingly Osric, had brought calm to the room and Chad and Sandy had been able to get through the laying out of the rest of the plan; Ty deciding to just sit back and keep quiet to avoid antagonizing Jensen any further.

Since it was already quite late and having two guest rooms and an office with a pull-out couch, the Lopez’s invited Jensen and his friends, as well as Chad and Ty to spend the night. 

Coincidentally, or karmically, as Osric gleefully claimed, they were all fans of _Deadliest Catch_ and when Sandy informed them that Netflix had just added new episodes, it was a unanimous decision to meet back up in the den after everyone had a chance to freshen up and change into more comfortable clothing if they wanted to.

Halfway through the first episode, Chad realized that Chris was practically leaning against him. In an effort to ignore Chris, Chad had been putting all his concentration on the show and hadn’t noticed Chris moving closer.

Body tensing up, Chad leaned away from Chris and tried to push him back towards his side of the chair. “What are you doing? Get off me!” he hissed as quietly as he could - The voice of Mike Rowe, the show’s commentator, coming from the TV and the surround-sound speakers - helping to mask his voice.

“I’m comfortable. C’mon baby, don’t be like that.” Chris said, quietly, seductively.

“I am _not_ your baby!”

“You didn’t mind me calling you that before.”

“That was before you started acting like you didn’t know me and left town without even a goodbye.”

“I had my reasons, Chad. Are you seeing someone now?”

“Not that it’s any of your business, but no.”

“So why can’t we pick up where we left off? Y’know I didn’t really have to come here. Jensen’s the one that’s gonna have to do all the work to get Jared back. I came here hoping to see you again.”

“I’m not even sure Jared should take Jensen back, even if the old supps clear his system and he’s back to feeling and caring again. The way Jensen ran out on him without a care as to how it would make Jared’s life a living hell back home. All the ridicule and bullying he got because of it.”

Chad flinched when Christian leaned in to nuzzle the side of his head. Firm lips ghosting over the shell of his ear.

“Stop. You both abandoned us, Chris. Twelve years with nothing from either of you.”

“That’s not entirely true.”

“What do you mean?”

“Postcards. Souvenirs. Trinkets. Whatever I came across in our travels that reminded me of you.” Chris said quietly. Suddenly looking unsure, eyes dropping to where his fingers were fiddling with the hem of Chad’s outrageous tee.

Chad was quiet for what felt like hours to Chris. Unable to take the silence any longer, Chris looked up at Chad. His heart stuttered when he saw the soft, teary look Chad was giving him. The Omega’s tender pink lips curving into a tremulous smile.

“Th-those were from you?”

“Jensen started it. Sending stuff to Jared. One a week for months. I used to make fun of him for it. But when they started being returned to him, he gave up and this coldness inside of him grew. I don’t know what made me do it, but I took over, started sending stuff for you as well as Jared.”

“Jared’s were returned because he and his whole family moved here to Vegas.”

“Yeah. I called Mikey and he told me. But he didn’t know their address so I kept sending Jared postcards whenever I sent stuff I picked up for you.”

“We suspected they were from you two, but we weren’t sure. Jared stopped wanting them, but I kept them all. Even when I moved here to stay close to Jared, my family kept forwarding them to me. But why were the postcards all blank and the gifts without notes?”

“Because, like Jensen, I didn’t know what to say, baby. I know how I treated you was fucked up, Chad. But I knew I was leaving as soon as I graduated. I didn’t want to start up something with you and then break your heart when I left. He’s my best friend, like a brother to me. I had to make sure he’d be okay.”

Chad suddenly stood up, causing Chris to fall into the space he’d vacated with a grunt of surprise. He was further surprised when the little Omega yanked him to his feet, as well.

“It’s been a long day.” Chad said, as if making an announcement. “We’re gonna call it a night.”

He then pulled Chris after him, leading him across the room and up the stairs, Chris beaming happily at Jensen who was watching them leave with a shocked, yet envious look on his face.

Sandy was grinning knowingly while her husband hid his face against her shoulder, his own shoulders shaking with muffled laughter.

When they were halfway up, Osric bounded off his couch with Ty right behind him. “Yeah, great idea! We’ll be hitting the hay, too. We are SO, so tired.” He then giggled when Ty smacked his ass and chased him up the stairs, the two laughing as they pushed past Chris and Chad at the top of the stairs.

Jensen gaped up at the two couples as they separated on the landing, each pair heading off to a different bedroom, then huffed exasperatedly and settled back into his corner of the overstuffed, yet comfy couch.

“If you guys start making out too, I’m leaving!” he said grumpily, at the couple snuggled up at the other end of the couch.

Sandy and Brian burst into gales of laughter, their glee so infectious, Jensen couldn’t help but smile as he returned his attention to the show.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Fifteen minutes and three episodes of _’Deadliest Catch’_ later, Sandy knocked softly on the door to the room she and Brian used as an office, opening the door and walking in when she heard Jensen’s call to enter.

“Hey. What ya doing?” she asked, smiling at the adorable sight her old friend made, sitting barefoot and cross-legged in the middle of the pull-out sofa bed wearing a white undershirt and dark blue sweatpants. His hair was still damp from his quick shower, skin flushed pink and looking refreshed.

“Just reviewing Tristana details, just in case.”

“I told you. We’re only pretending that you’re a hired gun. And only _if_ Jared finds out you’re there. All you need to do is go to the room we set up near his office for you to hide in. It’s an empty office no one uses because it’s so small. We use it like a junk drawer, piling stuff in it we don’t wanna throw out but don’t know what to do with.”

“Then what am I supposed to do in that room? Twiddle my thumbs?”

“Oh ye, of little faith. I set up a cool little hangout in there for you. Mini-fridge with drinks and snacks, television, computer, game consoles.”

Jensen grinned up at Sandy then reached out one arm to pull her into a hug. “You’re _still_ the coolest chick ever, y’know that?”

“Hands off, Ackles. That’s _my_ cool chick.” Brian fake-growled from the doorway.

Jensen held his hands up in the air. “Yessir, No argument here. She’s not even my type.”

“So just to make sure I’ve got the plan straight, let me run it by you both again.” Brian said, strolling in and grabbing one of the office chairs. He sat in it, then pulled Sandy to sit on his lap.

“First, Sandy switched Jared’s suppressants so that he could slowly regain his full range of emotions again. Then two days ago, she cut him off completely, giving him fake water pills so he doesn’t know.”

“Right. Jensen advised not to cut him off completely but to bring him down in small increments. And it’s working. He started feeling again, albeit, most of the feelings he’s been showing lately are frustration and anger, but I don’t think he even realizes just _how_ much he’s feeling again.”

“Then tomorrow, at your office, Jensen is gonna hole up in his little nest, hoping that his presence will trigger Jared’s rut again and they can finally mate and live happily ever after?”

“Well, when you say it like that, it sounds stupid.” Jensen muttered. “Oh, who are we kidding?! This _is_ stupid!”

“Well, why can’t Jensen just walk into Jared’s office and say ‘Hey babe, sorry I ran away before, but if you wanna try again, I’m game’. Then he can just climb on Jared’s desk and stick his ass out.”

Sandy burst out laughing, nearly falling off her husband’s lap. Brian having to grab her hips to keep her seated.

“Gee thanks.” Jensen deadpanned, flipping Brian the bird. “Make me sound like a needy bitch, why don’t ya?”

Still laughing, Sandy leaned over and swatted Jensen’s shoulder playfully before rising and walking over to an armoire set against the wall, opposite the sofa-bed. Opening it, she pulled out a thick album bound in red leather.

“If you want something to study, then study this.”

Jensen opened the heavy album as soon as she handed it to him, gasping softly at the very first page. It was a picture of him and Jared. It showed them walking up towards the front of the Singer High. Jared’s leg was in a cast and he was swinging on two crutches, an animated smile on his face. A breeze must’ve been blowing his hair away from his face, because Jared’s bangs were always in his face back then.

Jensen chuckled when he looked at himself in the picture. He was obviously exasperated and the photographer had caught him right when he was rolling his eyes.

His eyes shot up to Sandy. “When… where… _how_ did you get this picture of us?!”

“I took it, of course.” I was waiting up front with the girls, waiting on Rachel to arrive, when I saw you two walking up from the parking lot. Even with the sour look on your face, you two made such a striking couple. I just felt the need to capture that. Anyways, that album has pictures, articles, some of my journal pages and other stuff pertaining to Jared and his life up to just a couple of months ago. I think it will give you a good idea of what he’s like, today, as opposed to the boy you used to know.”

She then took her husband by one hand and pulled him up to his feet. “If Jared even had one inkling that Jensen was anywhere nearby, he’d hop his plane and head for the furthest reaches of the world. He doesn’t even allow us to say his name around him.” she told him.

“Ah, ok. That’s the reason for all this subterfuge.”

“He must really hate me, huh?” Jensen said, quietly, holding the open album against his chest, looking down at it pensively.

It was the most vulnerable Sandy had ever seen Jensen. It just convinced her even more that Jensen was sincere in winning Jared back and making things right again.

“It’s more like a fear, Jenny. The supps don’t remove fear because that is a fundamental component for self-preservation and it lies deep inside the human mind. However, because it is probably the strongest emotion he’s been able to feel all these years, he lets it rule him. When Jared gets scared he either lashes out or he runs.”

“Fight or flight.” Jensen said, grimly. “Sounds familiar.”

Sandy shrugged, but didn’t bother to comment.

“Sounds like you have your job cut out for ya. I hope the nesting thing works, but y’all have the Masquerade as a fallback, right?” Brian asked.

“Yes. The studies say that all Alphas can sense their mates nearby. What we don’t know, is what will Jared do if he senses me. If it doesn’t work, I’ll make my last attempt at the party.”

“Well, good luck, man. Call me tomorrow if you get bored and need some company.”

“Thanks, man.” Jensen smiled at the man as Brian walked out. “You’ve got a good man there, Sandz.”

“Don’t I know it. I’m a lucky gal. And tomorrow you’ll get _your_ man, Jenny. One of the plans will work. I just _know_ it!” she said, fervently, reminding Jensen of the cheerleader she used to be.

He just wished he had her confidence.


	17. TOYS

_“Things aren't the way they were before, You wouldn't even recognize me anymore, Not that you knew me back then, But it all comes back to me in the end.”_  
“In The End” - Linkin Park

Jensen watched with uncertainty as Chad and Ty prepared to move the last metal filing cabinet into place.

Sandy had woken everyone up at six sharp. Chad and Ty had to run home to change and get ready for the day, but Jensen, Chris and Os had all their luggage still in the rental cars they’d parked out on the curb. Using the guest bathroom, all three men took turns doing what Chris liked to call ‘the Three S’s (a shit, shower & shave), before Sandy kissed her husband, who had the day off, then rushed all of them out the door.

At Tristana, the ‘small’ office Sandy led them to was indeed like a junk drawer. There were stacked chairs and tables, five or six whiteboards, boxes and boxes of promotional items and no less than eight tall, metal filing cabinets. The office had been meant for a junior partner, but seeing as how Jared never trusted anyone enough to make them a partner, the room had remained vacant since the building was built.

In one corner of the room there was a narrow door that led to a sumptuous, decent-sized full bathroom. Jensen was told that Jared’s office was much larger and also had a full bathroom. In fact, that was how Sandy came up with her plan.

Since Jensen had been off the new suppressants, his heat had been building back up and according to Ty, the only Alpha in on their ruse, Jensen’s heat scent was becoming apparent. He’d insisted that he was more than satisfied with Osric and that Jensen’s scent wasn’t bothering him, but Jensen had caught him eyeing him once or twice as they’d all worked to set up Jensen’s ‘nest’.

Sandy informed them that the bathrooms for both executive offices shared venting ducts. She was hoping that after a full day of getting ‘dosed’ by Jensen’s heat scent will trigger Jared’s rut.

What wasn’t a known factor was how fast would Jared’s rut come on and how strong.

Working together, they rearranged items and the furniture so that Jensen had the corner near the bathroom door to hang out in. Sandy had the a/c turned on in the room so that the air between the two offices would merge, then she’d brought in a cooler filled with water, sodas and snacks. She also promised to sneak him in some real food at lunchtime.

Ty had brought in a laptop for Jensen to use if he needed to get online or to watch movies when he got bored and even provided headphones so that he could watch without worrying about the sound being heard.

They then arranged the filing cabinets to enclose that corner just to be on the safe side. Sandy said she’d lock the door and try to prevent anyone from entering the room but she couldn’t watch the door all the time and she wasn’t the only one with a key to it.

Now, just as they were about to slide the last cabinet into place, closing Jensen up behind it, Chad called a halt and ran to his bag where he’d dropped it near the main door.

“Hurry up, Chad! You know Jared always comes in early.” Sandy admonished him.

“Don’t get your panties in a twist, I got it right here.” Chad shot back as he snatched up his black messenger bag and dug something out of it. As he walked back over to them, Jensen noted that he was carrying a medium sized black shopping bag with something printed in white on the side.

When he got close enough to read it, Jensen could make the words ‘The Condom Connection’ stenciled neatly on the plastic.

“What the… well,, gee thanks, Murray. But I prefer buying my own condoms.” Jensen snarked, cocking one brow at the blonde Omega.

“It isn’t condoms, smart-ass.” Chad snarked back, tossing the bag at Jensen.

Catching it, Jensen was surprised at the weight of the bag. _-What the hell did he buy me?-_ Jensen wondered.

Opening the bag, Jensen stuck his hand inside and pulled out a medium-sized bottle of high-end lubricant.

“Keep going.” Chad insisted, waving one hand at Jensen, a devilish glint in his pale blue eyes.

Warning bells went off in Jensen’s head. Jensen had never been close to Chad but what he did remember about the Omega was that he had a twisted sense of humor that often got him and Jared in trouble. Jared usually only because he and Chad were always together so he was deemed guilty by association whenever Chad played out his pranks on unsuspecting victims.

When Jensen next pulled his hand out of the bag, he was holding a large, black dildo still in its plastic package. “What the fuck, Murray?! Guys usually buy me a drink before they start buying me sex toys!”

The others were by then leaning against each other, laughing their fool heads off.

“What the hell am I supposed to do with this?! Unlike you, Murray, I _can_ go a couple of hours without whacking my meat.”

“Bitch, you _wish_ you had my stamina.”

Chris nodded as he walked up behind Chad and slipped his arms around him, resting his chin on the Omega’s shoulder as he grinned over at Jensen. “Believe me, son. You do. This lil hottie damn near killed me last night.”

“Well, then here! You probably need this more than I do!” Jensen threw the lube and dildo at the couple then turned to glare at Osric and Ty. “You two, stop giggling and get this thing closed up!”

Chad twisted about to look up at his boyfriend. “Dang, he’s grumpy when he’s horny. Starting to feel sorry for Jay. I just thought he could use it to pass the time.”

A _Twinkie_ from Sandy’s stash of snacks came flying through the gap between cabinets just as Osric and Ty slid the last cabinet into place. The wrapped pastry smacked into the side of Chad’s head before falling to the floor.

“Ow!” Chad whined, glancing down as he rubbed the side of his head. Startling Chris when he swooped to snatch up the distinctive wrapped pastry. “Ooo… a _Twinkie_!”

“Yes, Chad. We all know you are.” Ty said, with a serious tone.

Osric cackled then high-fived Ty.

“What are you laughing at, shorty?!” Chad huffed, trying to pull out of Chris’ arms to confront Osric.

“OH MY GOD, WILL YOU FUCKERS LEAVE ALREADY!” Jensen shouted from inside of his little space.

Grabbing his still huffing boyfriend, Chris spun him around, crouched then threw the Omega over his shoulder. Chad shouting and kicking as the black-haired Hybrid made his way out of the room, the door helpfully opened for them by a grinning Sandy.

“God, I missed you guys.” she said, wiggling her fingers ‘bye-bye’ at Chad when he shot her a dirty look as he and Chris passed her.

She looked back at Ty and Osric. “Next?”

“Oh no. I can make my own exit.” Osric said, laughing as he retrieved the lube and dildo from the floor and placed it on the flat stack of folding tables. Grabbing Ty’s hand Osric practically skipped out of the room, dragging a grinning Ty behind him.

“I’ll see you at lunch time, Jenny.” she called out to Jensen, getting only a muffled grunt as acknowledgement.

 

+++++++++++++++++++++

 

Four hours later, Sandy made her way back to Jensen with a large pan pizza still steaming hot in its box. She’d tipped the delivery boy then fended off two of her co-workers who’d tried to weasel a slice from her.

Using a stack of chairs that was positioned at one end of the line of file cabinets, Sandy peered over the cabinets to see Jensen fast asleep on the couch with the laptop balanced on his stomach and the large headphones on his head. She smiled at the innocent, endearing picture he made.

Smiling mischievously, Sandy opened the pizza box then waited. She giggled when she saw Jensen’s nose twitching, laughing outright when his eyes snapped open and zeroed in on the box of pizza.

“Smoo?” he said.

“Of course it’s a SMOO. Sausage, mushroom, onions and olives. I remember. Is it still your fave combo?”

When he nodded and made ‘gimme hands’ as he rose from the couch, she laughed again and leaned over to hand the box to him.

“All these years and you haven’t changed a bit, Ackles. Can’t stay long. Brian’s coming to take me to lunch, but I’ll try not to take the full hour. How’re you doing for drinks?”

“Would love some beer.”

“You’re in luck. Hold on, I’ll be right back.”

Sandy jumped from the chair, wobbling a bit on her heels then rushing back out the door. She returned grinning triumphantly with a 6-pack of Coors.

“Will this do? We had some leftover in the fridge from the last time we schmoozed a client. A billionaire that preferred beer to wine or hard liquor. Go figure.” she said, as she clambered back up on the chair to look in on Jensen. She gasped then shook her head when Jensen jumped up from already starting in on a third piece of pizza and snatched the cans from her hand.

“You lush.” she teased.

“Hey, it’s not a proper pizza without beer.”

“Okay, okay… I’ll see you later. Jared will be in his office.”

“Any change, so far?”

“Nothing out of the ordinary.”

With that, Sandy left Jensen to enjoy his pizza and returned to her desk.

About an hour later, Jensen is sleeping peacefully again. Since the venting worked both ways, Jared’s scent permeated the room when he left the bathroom door open. Having his scent around him calmed something inside of Jensen. Allowing him to sleep better than he has in years.

He’s jarred awake by Sandy again, but this time Sandy has Ty with her. Glancing at his watch he saw that his nap had been lengthy one. It was only a couple of minutes to six. Almost the end of the work day. The two had pulled away one of the cabinets and were rushing towards Jensen even as the Hybrid was groggily rising to sit up on the couch.

“Whoa, what the hell is going on?!”

“No time to explain, we gotta get you outta here.” Ty muttered, face grim.

“What, why?!” Jensen exclaimed, looking at Sandy as she and Ty each grab one of of his arms and pull him up off the couch. Then they began to practically drag him out of his nook and towards the door.

Digging his feet in, Jensen pulled himself free of their hold then crossed his arms across his chest. “I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what’s going on.”

Flapping her hands in exasperation, Sandy pointed at Ty. “You explain, since you know Jared better in this department.”

“Fine.” Ty said, turning to look Jensen straight in the eye. “As was established yesterday, Jared and I still hook up from time to time when either of us is horny and the other is conveniently close and we don’t feel like going out or inviting over a booty call.”

Teeth grinding, green eyes blazing, Jensen nodded for Ty to continue. Jensen didn’t like thinking of Jared with Ty or anyone else but he also knew it was presumptuous and hypocritical of him since he’d done the same in the past. Even when the old supps were dulling his senses and hampering his emotions, a part of Jensen - something deep inside of him - has always seen Jared as his. He knew it wasn’t fair, considering how he’d run away and basically rejected Jared.

But ever since Jensen started taking the new suppressants and regaining his senses and emotions, the biggest emotion to hit him had been regret. Heaping loads of loneliness and regret.

He knew there was a very good chance that Jared would reject him, but Jensen was prepared for that. At least he hoped he was. Even if he just helped to restore Jared back to the smiling, gregarious and fun person he used to be, Jensen would count that as a win.

“What are you trying to tell me, Olsson? Spit it out!”

“Jared just had Sandy call down for Raoul. Raoul is a 250lb Alpha that works in the loading bay. He’s nearly 7-feet-tall, all muscle, has a mean streak and takes great pleasure in fucking Alphas. Hard. He considers it his specialty. If Jared is calling for him, it means he’s horny as hell and wants to get wrecked.”

“Oh HELL NO!” Jensen shouted.

“Shhh shhh!” Sandy urged him. “He might hear you!”

“I don’t give a flying fuck! I’m not gonna just sit here and listen to some meathead fucking _MY_ mate to kingdom come!”

“Which is why we gotta get you out of here.” Ty gritted out.

Jensen’s stormy eyes looked back and forth between the two. Inhaling deeply, he was struck again with the distinctive, heady scent of his Alpha.

“Ty, you’re an Alpha. How does finding your soulmate work? Info I’ve read says it’s all in the scent. Is that true?”

“Yes, pretty much.”

“But how do you know?”

“Once we smell it, we know. Well, mature Alphas, at least.”

“What do you mean?”

“Young Alphas have too many hormonal changes going on. It’s not until around their mid-twenties that those hormones settle down and their senses mature.”

“So, when Jared scented me when he was sixteen?”

“Oh man, sixteen? His hormones must’ve been all over the place. All he would’ve registered is that you smelled better than anyone else. He would’ve been instantly attracted to you but not know why.”

“Jensen, what is this all about? Our plan failed. We can’t have you around when Raoul starts in on him. Your wolf won’t be able to take it. You’ll either bust in there and attack Raoul, or you’ll go mad trying to control your wolf. If Jared sees you before the masquerade, he’ll run. We need to fall back and regroup. Plan out what to do at the Masquerade to get him to go into rut.”

“I’m a Hybrid, Sandy. Hybrids’ wolves don’t control us, we control it. Besides, I think our plan _DID_ work. Just not in the way we’d hoped. If Jared is suddenly calling for a quick fuck while still at work, _HE_ must be feeling something that’s pushing him.”

Ty and Sandy stared, both of them obviously considering his words.

“Am I right to assume that, other than Ty, Jared has never brought anyone up to his office before for a quick fuck?”

“Yes, but how did you know?” Sandy asked.

“Because, when I was under the old supps and working, nothing and no one could distract me from my goal. Even if I was randy, not a single partner, even the ones I enjoyed could distract me. No matter how hard they tried. Work was work and fun had its place and time. I’m guessing Jared is the same way.”

Sandy and Ty both nodded.

“If Jared is breaking his habits, it means our plan did work. Only he’s misinterpreting his rut as nothing more than a very urgent need for sex. Think about it. My scent has probably been working on him, triggering his rut, but the last time he smelled me was when he was sixteen and our scents mature as we age, so I don’t smell exactly the same. Hell, if I didn’t know Jared was the cause of the wonderful scent I’m smelling right now, I’d think it was some random person I might wanna hook up with. But I’ve been off all the supps longer than Jared _and_ I know the smell is coming from my mate who’s in the next room.”

“But that still doesn’t change the dilemma we’ve got going on here. Jared is about to have wild sex one room away from you. Are you really willing to sit around in here, smelling and possibly hearing it?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because I have a plan.” Jensen answered, lips curling into a smirk.

“Oh Goddess, I remember that look.” Sandy groaned. “You’re about to do something crazy.”

Snorting a soft laugh, Jensen walked over to the stack of tables and picked up the lube and the dildo. “I’m gonna fight for my man.” he said, a determined light settling into his green eyes. “You two might not wanna stick around for this.”

Sandy gaped at Jensen as he began to peel off his outer shirt, transferring the lube and dildo from one hand to the other to do so.

“Are you gonna do what I think you’re gonna do?!” she hissed stridently.

Jensen just grinned at her as he began kicking off his shoes then peeling off his socks one by one. He then popped the button on this jeans and began pulling down the zipper.

“You wanna stay and watch?” Jensen asked, playfully.

Sandy made a disgusted face while Ty just nodded eagerly.

Laughing, Jensen motioned for them to leave, giving the Alpha an extra shove to his back when he looked like he was about to argue. When they left, Jensen locked the door, grabbed a cushion from the couch, then made his way to the private bathroom.

Tossing the cushion into the dry tub, Jensen removed the rest of his clothing. He could feel slick beginning to ooze out of him, just from the thought of what he was about to do. Before settling into the tub with the dildo and the lube, Jensen made sure to open the vent above the tub the furthest it could go. As he did, he could make out the faint echoes of two male voices coming through it. Raoul had arrived.

Jensen stretched out in the comfortable tub, the cushion supporting his back and head. Reaching between his legs, Jensen gave his hardening cock a few strokes then worked his fingers further down until he was running the pads of his fingers over the silky soft skin of his hole. It felt hot and slick and he couldn’t help but whimper softly when he pressed against it.

Sound filtered through the vent and to Jensen’s ears. Moaning and expletives shouted in deep, gruff voices. Jensen’s eyes narrowed as he slipped two fingers inside of himself. The slight sting quickly fading to a burn. He removed his fingers and popped the cap on the lube. Setting it to the side, he ripped open the plastic casing for the dildo and began lubing it up.

Jensen then bit back a moan as he pushed the head of the black dildo inside of him. He inhaled Jared’s scent deeply as he began working the toy into him. He could feel his body releasing more slick, the lube no longer needed. 

“Big Raoul can try all he wants, but you won’t be getting any satisfaction from him, Mr. Padalecki. Not when his scent has to compete with mine.”

 

++++++++++++++++++

 

_Ten Minutes Later…_

Sandy looked up, startled, when the doors to Jared’s office crashed open and he came striding out looking flushed, yet frustrated. His suit was a bit rumpled, his hair too.

“Sandy!” he snapped out, as he reached up to smooth down his long-ish brown locks.

“Yes, Jay?” she answered nonchalantly, as he came up to her desk.

“See to it a basket of muffins is delivered to Raoul Ojeda at the start of his shift tomorrow, make sure the card says ‘With sincere appreciation and apologies.’ from me.”

“Did things not go well with Mr. Ojeda and are you sincerely apologetic?”

“Mind your own business, Mrs. Nosey.”

Sandy laughed even as she picked up the phone to do as Jared asked.

“Hey, that Masquerade party’s tonight, right?”

“What? You gonna try your luck, there?”

“Sandz, quit busting my balls. They’re blue enough, as is.”

“Yes, the party is tonight. Should I RSVP?”

“Yeah, wasn’t planning on going, but now I think I will. Not too late to RSVP?”

“Jared… you’re hot and you’re rich. You could show up unannounced and they’d still thank their lucky stars you showed up.”

Lips pursed as Jared nodded with a cocky tilt to his head. Sandy threw a notepad at him. “Go on, get outta here before your head gets too big to fit in the elevator. I’ll handle everything.”

“Thanks, babe.”

“Yeah, yeah. Bye!”

Jared then turned and headed for the elevator, when it arrive he held it open then turned to look back at Sandy. “By the way, have there been any new people on this floor?”

“New people?” Sandy asked, the phone held to her ear with one hand, her other hand frozen over the keypad to the base.

“Yeah, been smelling something all day.”

“Ty was here earlier but that’s it. Are you trying to insinuate that one of us smells?”

“No, no… I know both your scents. This one is strange yet also kinda familiar. Can’t quite put my finger on it, though.”

Sandy just shrugged, striving to keep her face expressionless, especially after the ‘finger’ remark.

“Okay, well, thanks again. I’ll probably be in late tomorrow or not at all. Call me on my cell if you need me to come in, though.”

“You got it, boss. I’d say have a nice night, but where you’re going is anything but nice.”

Jared laughed as he entered the elevator.

Sandy stared at the elevator doors for a good five minutes after it closed, happy to have seen Jared smiling and laughing. Since she replaced his old supps then weaned him off the new ones, the real Jared had been showing more and more. Sandy was just so happy to see it hadn’t been completely killed off.

She turned when she heard another door opening and saw Jensen walking out of the office he’d been hiding in. He was just as flushed and rumpled as Jared had been, but unlike the Alpha, he had a satisfied look about him. He gave Sandy a naughty grin as he strolled up holding the distinctive black bag in one hand and a can of Coors in the other.

He held up the bag from ‘Condom Connection’ and shook it slightly. “I’m keeping these. Remind me to thank Chad later.”


	18. MISTAKEN IDENTITY

_“Cause i can't see forgiveness, And you can't see the crime, And we both keep on waiting, For what we left behind.”_  
“The Final Masquerade” - Linkin Park

“I’m sure our old friends won’t need reminding but this is more for our newer guests. There is only _one_ ironclad rule for one of our soirees, and that is, ‘Do No Harm’. Many here come for the thrill or the need of anonymity, so the pulling off of others masks is strictly forbidden. If you want to remove your own mask, that is your call. There will also be no violence or rough-play allowed. This is not that kind of party. Lastly, like the very great city we live in, what happens here, stays here. There will be security moving about the rooms, along with the servers. My husband and I are very pleased to have you all here with us, but these are our rules. Other than that, enjoy! Explore! There will be games played in the side rooms, food and refreshments served in the dining room, dancing in the ballroom, and if you need anything special, feel free to let one of the servers know.”

With that, the twenty-something, platinum blonde hostess turned to the silver-haired, older man next to her and stepped into his open arms. They kissed as the partygoers began milling about.

Jared walked in just as the hostess was finishing her speech. He didn’t feel as if he missed anything. The host was an old business partner of his. Jared was always considered a VIP at any of his many ‘special’ parties. As the staff moved in to take his coat, offer him refreshments, and show him to a seat in one of the leather wingback chairs set in the sectioned-off area of the parlor, Jared didn’t see anything different other than the masks everyone was wearing - including the staff.

Jared nodded politely at the other men seated in similar chairs around him. Some had nubile twinks or svelte little minxes in their laps or sitting at their feet. Jared didn’t have trouble recognizing the other powerful men and women in the VIP section.

 _The same old faces doing the same old thing._ Jared thought, tiredly.

It wasn’t too long ago that Jared looked forward to these parties. He didn’t know when he’d started losing interest, or why he was back again since the whole thing still left him feeling empty and just plain bored.

He dredged up a smile for the host as he made his way over to Jared, and made the requisite small talk. He, however, begged off cigars in the study in favor of checking out what the party had to offer in the other rooms. Anything to avoid getting stuck in a smoky room with some old farts trying to work their power plays on him.

Jared avoided the ballroom. It was set up like a night club and he wasn’t in the mood for dancing. He considered going into the dining room, but he’d had dinner earlier at home, and wasn’t hungry or thirsty.

He knew upstairs would be bedrooms for any who wanted some privacy. Also upstairs, would be rooms that specialized in kinks. Mixed and same sex orgies, leather balls, petting zoos for the furries and so much more. As he strolled around he even heard there was a latex room. He never understood the appeal of being completely encased in rubber, but he didn’t judge those who got off on any of the kinks offered here.

As he passed the dining room he came to a long, wide hall with glass walls on either side and double French doors at the other end of the hall, he knew the doors led out to the pool area. As for the rooms on either side, Jared knew from previous parties, that the room on the left was usually the gym and the one on the right was a billiards-slash-game room. Now, both rooms were being utilized as a small casino-slash-bar. 

Jared wasn’t sure what he wanted yet. There was a yearning deep inside of him that he couldn’t quite name, but maybe a round or two of pool or a game of cards would unwind him enough to decide.

“Jared.” said a familiar, deep voice from behind him.

Turning, Jared cocked one brow as he recognized Ty. Even with the black half-mask trimmed with small black feathers along the top covering half of his handsome face.

Snuggled comfortably to Ty’s side was a smaller man dressed in ruby red silk pantaloons that were nearly see through. His top was a sleeveless, little black brocade vest with no buttons that stopped midway down his torso. On his head was a matching red silk cap with a silk veil attached to either side that hid the bottom half of the man’s face.

Jared smiled flirtatiously at Ty’s companion as he held out one large hand to him. “And who are you, little Genie? Out of the bottle for a night of fun, I see.”

Behind the veil, Osric struggled not to burst out laughing. Pitching his voice higher than normal, Osric simpered and preened. “It is always a pleasure to meet one of my Master’s friends. You may call me Gene.”

Osric laid his hand atop Jared’s outstretched palm, then giggled when the Alpha brought it up to his mouth and kissed it.

“The pleasure’s all mine, beautiful.”

Jared then turned his attention back to Ty. “I didn’t know you attended these types of functions, why didn’t you tell me you were coming tonight?”

“Oh, it was sort of a last minute decision. My little genie here wanted to go out and I thought he’d enjoy trying something new. Were you heading in to join the poker game?”

“Yeah, I was considering it. What’s the setup tonight, do you know?”

“Omega Stakes.”

“Oh? Never heard of that.”

“Oh, um, me neither. Why don’t we go in and find out what it’s about?”

Jared nodded and turned to follow Ty and his date into the game room.

Jared adjusted his white half mask as he took in the room. At the far end of the large room was a fully stocked bar with a bartender in attendance. A waitress in red and black with a white mask on her face was piling drinks onto her tray. Across from the bar was a mahogany pool table with a red liner and a rectangular pendant light hanging over it. Two men were playing while some watchers sat on stools nearby.

Closer to where he and Ty had entered was an even larger mahogany table, also lined in red and with another waitress in the same attire serving drinks to those already seated.

The dealer seated at the middle of the table facing the door looked up and greeted Jensen and Ty. “Gentlemen, just in time. There are two seats left at the end there. Tonight we’re playing Omega Stakes.”

Jared followed Ty to the remaining seats. As he was taking his seat, the waitress walked over to take their orders. Jared smirked when Ty settled Gene into his lap, finding this new, not-so-uptight version of Ty to be interesting. When they were done ordering, the dealer continued speaking.

“Tonight’s game is Texas Hold ‘Em with a twist. I like to think of it as a reverse Strip Poker.”

Some of the other players around the table suddenly looked uncomfortable. Jared was intrigued.


	19. STRIP POKER

_“Many men have tried to shake us, But I twist my cords like a double helix's, to show you what I'm made of.”_  
“High Voltage” - Linkin Park

“Strip poker _reversed_? What on Earth are you talking about?” asked a matronly woman to Jared’s right. Voice stern, mouth pinched in displeasure.

Even with the elaborate feathered mask, Jared knew who she was. He knew everyone at the table, actually. They were all veterans of the exclusive parties like this one, that were thrown annually, in locations all over Vegas. Each party hosted by a different power player that called Las Vegas their home.

“What I mean, Madame, is that instead of playing to keep clothing on, you will be playing to remove it.”

Ty shot Jared a confused look.

A man at the other end of the table scowled. “I don’t think I will be joining this game, sir. Unlike others here…” he paused to smirk at a bigger man to his left. “...I’m not into exhibitionism.”

Many of the other players chuckled or smirked while some, like the matronly woman, continued to frown.

“Oh, but sir… _you_ won’t be the one removing your clothing.” the dealer replied smoothly. He then pressed a button, Jared only now noticed was set into the table next to him. A distinct buzzing noise could be heard from an adjoining room.

Across and to the left of Jared, through a narrow, formerly unnoticed door walked eight people in a straight line. All at the table suddenly sat up straighter as they took in the new additions. Every single one of them, even with masks on, were obviously very good looking. Perfect bodied and dressed in one sexy fashion after another. The third person, a male, caught Jared’s attention right off.

His clothing wasn’t all that revealing or fancy, but Jared could tell even from a distance that the man’s outfit was of top quality and the colors complemented the man’s coloring perfectly.

The man looked to be a couple inches shorter than Jared with a solid, lightly muscled build. He had on a deep blue silk button up shirt that was left open to reveal a skin-tight white tank top underneath. The tank molded perfectly to a wide, firm chest and decently defined four-pack abs. He wore loose black linen pants that hung low on his hips. The tank also didn’t drop too far down so the man’s belly button, sparse, dark-blonde treasure trail and tantalizing hip cuts were on display in the most enticing way.

The man had a head of spiky dark-blonde hair that was a shade or two darker than his body hair. Lush, full, pouty lips and startlingly green eyes that stared straight at Jared from behind a Zorro style mask. Even from this distance, Jared could make out small scatterings of dusky freckles on the man’s creamy pale skin. When the man licked his lips, then sucked his bottom lip into his mouth and bit down on it, Jared could feel himself hardening in his pants. Jared had to force himself to look away, turning his attention back to the dealer.

“Meet one-half of your prize, ladies and gentlemen. Each of you will pick an Omega who will then sit in your lap or at your side during the game. For every hand you win, he or she will remove a piece of clothing. When a player’s Omega is left wearing nothing but their mask, the game is over. The pot will go to you and the Omega will be yours for the night. Don’t worry, each Omega was dressed by our staff and is wearing the same amount of clothing. The buy-in is ten-thousand dollars. If you’re in, please remain seated. If you’re out, please leave your seat so another may join.”

Jared then noticed that there were others lined up along the wall near the door. Other partygoers who’d arrived at the Game Room too late to claim a chair.

The matronly woman and a black man in a tux stood up just as Ty turned to Jared. “I’m out of this game, brother. Got my own Omega right here that I’m perfectly happy with.” Osric cooed with his Gene voice, turning in Ty’s lap to kiss his stubbled cheek.

The first three in line against the wall took their place. The rest dispersed or took up seats at the high tables and stools along the perimeter, the waitress from the bar walked over to take their orders.

“Now.” The dealer continued. “The table is full, everyone knows the rules and the stakes, so we can begin.”

He then fanned the deck of cards out in front of him. “To determine the order of picking an Omega, starting to my left, each player will pick a card from the deck in front of me, and flip it over in front of you. Suit powers are highest to lowest - diamonds, hearts, spades & clubs. Is that understood?” 

Everyone at the the table agreed by nodding.

“Then ‘blood’ your chip, toss it in the pot and pick a card.”

The woman to the dealer’s left picked up her chip. Using the one sharpened corner, she sliced the skin of her thumb then smeared the blood on the chip before tossing it into the heavy glass bowl one of the waitresses had deposited in the middle of the table. She then picked a card and opened it in front of her. She got a five of diamonds.

Going around the table, each player followed her example. One guy Jared recognized as the CEO and owner of Amell Industries, grinned and openly eyed Jared’s choice when he glanced at his card before flipping it over for all to see.

King of Hearts. _Damn, Well that won’t do._ Jared thought.

When his turn came, Jared blooded then tossed his chip without waiting for the others to move the bowl closer to him. It fell neatly into the bowl with a ringing knell even as Jared grabbed the first card his hand came to. Without looking at it, he blatantly stared at the freckled beauty as he flipped his card over. A murmur of surprise went up around the table. When he glanced down, he smiled when he saw the King of Diamonds.

Jared glanced over at Amell and smirked when the guy clearly frowned at him from behind his mask.

The guy who took Ty’s seat went after Jared and opened an Ace of Diamonds. Jared huffed exasperatedly. Freckles was the finest piece up there, no way the winner wasn’t gonna choose him. Jared was already thinking of ways to convince the guy to give Freckles to him, when the winner leaned over into Jared’s personal space.

Jared stiffened in surprise.

“Don’t worry, Padalecki. I’m not into guys. You can have your pretty boy.”

Jared blinked then turned to look at the guy. Jared knew he was a Cohen, but couldn’t remember which one. The head of the family that owned and operated a chain of successful pawn shops around Vegas had three sons. After a beat or two, Jared finally placed the guy.

“Very… uh, nice of you, Matthew.”

“I’m not _nice_ , Jared. I just prefer pussy.”

Jared chuckled then turned his attention back to the dealer who had just finished calling out the order.

Matthew chose a petite blonde and Jared got his Freckles. He took great pleasure in settling the not-much-smaller man in his lap as Amell watched with envious eyes. The dealer had to say Amell’s name twice before he finally stopped glaring at Jared and returned his attention to the game; obviously not caring who he got now, Amell waved vaguely at the Omega closest to him, a black-haired twink.

Turning his attention back to the tempting treat currently wiggling about in his lap, trying to find a comfortable position and making Jared’s cock twitch with interest. Leaning over he pressed his nose to the creamy, soft skin of the man’s upper arm. One hand coming up to trace the lean, well-defined muscles in his companion’s arm. As he took a long, dragging inhale of the man’s scent, Jared felt his wolf stir inside of him.

His inhale cut off abruptly as he then exhaled harshly in surprise and shock. Rearing back, he turned the man in his lap until he had no choice but to look straight at Jared. The man still tried to duck his head and hide his eyes. But Jared’s gaze had locked onto the man’s mouth. He _knew_ that mouth!

“Jensen?!” Jared hissed. Eyes wide, hands clamped tightly, almost brutally onto Jensen’s upper arms.

Giving up on his attempts to stop Jared from getting a better look at his face, Jensen sagged defeatedly in Jared’s lap, then looked up until his bottle-green eyes met and locked with incredulous hazels.

Jensen smiled warily up at the bigger man. “Hi Jared.” Jensen said. “Don’t freak out, I can explain.”


	20. POSSESSIVE PLAY

_“I'll face myself to cross out what I've become, erase myself, and let go of what I've done.”_  
“What I’ve Done” - Linkin Park

 

“Problem, Padalecki?” Amell asked from further down the table. Jensen then realized that the entire table was watching he and Jared closely.

_Shitshitshit!_

Jared had been subtly trying to push Jensen off of his lap, probably intending on walking out, while Jensen had also been subtly trying to keep from being displaced.

Throwing caution to the wind, Jensen threw his upper body against Jared’s, their chests pressing tight together even as he pushed his face into the side of Jared’s head, full lips grazing Jared’s ear as he whispered urgently.

“They’re watching us… watching _you_. If you don’t wanna end up in the gossip rounds tomorrow, quit trying to push me away and play your game!”

“I don’t give a damn what anyone says about me, now get the fuck off of me!” Jared hissed back into Jensen’s ear.

“Ok, ok… but to save your reputation, announce that I’m a Hybrid and act like you’re offended.”

“Hybrids don’t offend me... _you_ do! You have a lot of nerve coming anywhere near me. And what do you care about my rep....”

“If you’re having trouble with that one, I’d be happy to take him off your hands, Padalecki.”

To Jensen’s delight, Jared quit trying to push Jensen by his shoulders and instead wrapped one arm around his waist, pulling him in tighter to his body.

“Honestly, Amell.” Jared bit out, leaning to the side to see around Jensen’s body. Jared cocked one brow at the other Alpha. “Have you nothing better to do than to keep panting after _my_ Omega? I’m getting a bit embarrassed for you.”

Face turning a dark red, Amell shoved the twink off his lap and stood up. Grabbing up the bowl of chips, Amell sniffed a couple of times then fished out a chip that was presumably his. Setting the bowl down carefully, Amell glared at the dealer who was doing a bad job of holding back his amusement at Amell’s expense.

Then Amell was gone.

The dealer turned to look at the people seated on the sidelines. “Anyone wanna take his place? You must have a 10K chip to buy in.”

Before anyone at the tables could reply, Christian strolled in the doors with Chad on his arm. He held up the 10K chip Ty had slipped him when he left the room. “I’d like to join.” he said.

The dealer nodded and Christian took Amell’s empty seat, pulling Chad into his lap. “I brought my own Omega.”

Chad smirked at the black-haired twink. “Sorry sweetheart, guess tonight just ain’t your night.” said Chad, sweetly. The twink rolled his eyes then walked out the side door he’d come through earlier.

“Do you need me to go through the rules of the game again, sir?” the dealer asked.

Christian shook his head. “I got the lowdown from Olsson.”

“Should’ve known that if Ackles is here, then Kane wouldn’t be far behind. What the hell is going on and are you in on it too, Chad?” Jared leaned over the man between them to hiss at the couple.

Jensen leaned in with him and pulled Jared’s chin ‘til the bigger man was looking at him. “Don’t snap at Chad. He only did this ‘cos he cares about you. We all do.”

Chad blinked, mouth falling open at hearing Jensen defending him.

“I could give a rat’s ass about you, I’m here to backup Jensen.” Chris said, nonchalantly, focused on the game. Chad poked him slightly in the stomach, eliciting a chuckle from his mate.

Since waking up that morning and throughout the day, Chris had been acting happy and content. Jensen was pleased to see his usually irascible friend looking so satisfied and in love. Jensen still didn’t understand what he saw in Chad Michael Murray, but Jensen was willing to give the Omega a chance if he continued making his best friend this happy.

The man who’d been inadvertently added into their conversation cleared his throat noisily. “Ahem, if you gentlemen don’t mind, I’d like to play this game now.” The Omega in his lap giggled.

“Oh honey, don’t stop them. This is _so_ much more interesting.” she said, bouncing slightly in the man’s lap.

“I’m much more interested in winning you, sweetpea.” he said.

Jensen muffled his laugh in Jared’s shoulder while Chris and Chad rolled their eyes in sync, settling back into his seat.

When Jared straightened back up in his seat, Jensen had to reposition himself to keep from sliding off his lap. Jared spread his legs wider to brace him, but that resulted in Jensen’s ass settling firmly into the cradle of Jared’s crotch. Jared was very hard and Jensen couldn’t help but roll his hips slightly, biting his lip when he heard Jared gasp then groan softly.

“Am I too heavy for you?” Jensen teased, I can grab a chair and sit at your side instead.”

Jared’s arm tightened around Jensen. “You’re not going anywhere. I’m not giving you another chance to run away.”

The dealer began to deal out the cards. The game was finally on.

On Jared’s left, Matthew leaned over to speak to Jared, quietly. “Are you really unhappy with your Omega, Jared? I can trade with you if you’d like.”

Jensen whipped about to glare at Matthew. “No one is sitting in this lap but me, Mr. Nosey. Mind your own business!”

Biting back a laugh, Jared slid his hand up the side of Jensen’s neck, then his face, until his hand could cover Jensen’s mouth. “No, thank you Matthew.” He said, grinning ruefully. “I know him. I was just surprised to see him again. As you can see, he still needs to be trained on how a proper Omega should act.”

From behind his hand, Jensen was mumbling what was obviously a rant, his expressive green eyes now snapping at Jared.

Matthew laughed, good heartedly. “Well, even if I don’t swing that way and he _is_ a handful, I say you got yourself a fine-looking Omega there, Jared.”

Jared felt Jensen relax in his arms, a smile forming on the lush lips he was covering.

“Oh, so _now_ you’ll be nice to Matthew if I remove my hand?”

Jensen nodded and gave Jared’s palm a kiss before the Alpha could move his hand. Jared gasped again. He still wasn’t sure why Jensen was there, but Jared was determined to find out. First, he had to get through this game. The idea of being able to strip the gorgeous Hybrid in his lap an added incentive.

“I don’t know what your game is, Jensen, but I’m not the starry-eyed boy with a silly crush anymore. You’re sitting at the big boy’s table now. I hope you’re prepared to lose it all.”

“Definitely not ‘little’.” Jensen purred, rubbing himself against Jared’s erection again. “But I’m all in, Jared. I’m not folding this time.”

 

+++++++++++++++++++++

 

Nearly two hours later, Jensen has lost his outer shirt, both shoes and socks. In Jared’s eyes, he acted like it was a win every time he got to remove an item from Jensen. Which, in a way, means he _did_ win, but Jensen wasn’t ready to admit that to himself.

Forty-five minutes into the game, Jared had instructed Jensen to sit at his feet, right between his widespread muscular thighs. In that position, Jensen’s senses were flooded with Jared’s Alpha musk. He’d started to feel lightheaded and had ended up resting his head on Jared’s thigh. Jared had then started reaching down to run his fingers through Jensen’s hair now and then, and each time Jensen had to fight back the urge to whimper at the delicious feel of it.

- _Why didn’t Sandy or Chad warn him about how BIG Jared had gotten? Sure, Jensen had seen recent pics and videos of Jared when he was doing research months back, and maybe once or twice on his phone late at night when he was in bed. But those images had failed to impart the sheer size, from the boy Jensen remembered, of the man he’d grown into today._ \- 

Jensen had to go along with Jared’s demands in order to continue playing the dutiful Omega. When Chad had brought him to the Hostess as a volunteer for the game earlier, they were able to fool her into thinking he was an Omega because of the low-level heat Jensen had been in since coming off his supps. What he’d done earlier at Jared’s office had only ratcheted up his temperature a few more degrees and even if Jensen had been scantily clad in the overly chilled environment, the heat emanating off of him had kept him warm. 

The Hostess had been strict about how the Omegas were supposed to act. She was adamant about how the players who joined these high-stakes game didn’t do it solely for for the money or the bragging rights. The playing for a traditionally obedient Omega, in a time when Omega Rights was an enforceable law and most Omegas would fight tooth and claw if forced to go back to the old ways, was also a draw and she wasn’t going to be lenient on any Omega who didn’t play by her rules. If you failed to perform, you were out, and another would take your place.

In other words, if Jensen or any of the other Omegas didn’t play along, they’d forfeit the pay they were promised and be kicked out of the party, never to work for the party circuit in Vegas again. Of course, they weren’t required to sleep with the winner, that was left completely up to the Omega. However, a ten-thousand dollar bonus from the Host and Hostess made it very likely that the Omega whose player won them, would make that extra effort - and then, even if the player lost, he or she could still offer more of their own cash to the Omega for some alone time with them.

For most of the Omegas -struggling artists, students, or those who were in need of some serious cash flow because of one personal reason or another- the five-thousand dollar base pay was more than enough. But for those who worked the party circuit year-round, it was their main source of income and they did it for a living.

Jensen, of course, was in no need of the money and planned on having Christian track down the black-haired twink who’d been chosen and then dumped by Amell. The kid had probably been highly disappointed.

Jensen jerked out of his near slumber when Jared pulled on his upper arm, getting him to stand up. The dealer collecting the cards as Jared began peeling the tight white tank top off of Jensen.

Jensen could feel a flush suffusing his skin, traveling up to his cheeks when he was turned to be shown off to the other players around the table. A few of them, even Matthew Cohen, looked on with appreciative stares.

“Damn, Padalecki. You’re just having all the luck, tonight.” an older player said further down the table.

When Jensen glanced over at Chris and Chad, he saw that his best friend was making a point to keep his eyes on Chad who was kissing along the collar of the blue-eyed man’s button-up shirt.

Jared then pushed Jensen back down to his place on the floor, a little too roughly, and Jensen huffed at Jared’s brusqueness. He looked up to glare at the man from between his thighs, and Jared just grinned, more like a baring of his teeth, actually. “Mine.” he growled.

Jensen just rolled his eyes and went back to leaning against Jared’s leg.

A little over an hour later, Jared was sliding Jensen’s dark blue boxer briefs down the gentle curve of his bowed legs. Jensen covered his crotch as quickly as he could, but still flushed brilliantly when a murmur of appreciation went up all over the large room, not just at the poker table.

“And that is the game, ladies and gentlemen.” the dealer called out. Taking the bowl of chips, he set it in front of Jared who was still gazing at Jensen, possessively. “Your winnings, sir.”

Jared lazily collected the ten chips and slipped them into his pants pocket before rising from his seat. Turning to look at Jensen, challengingly, Jared quirked a brow at him.

“Now for my real prize.” he said, voice rich and deep. A shiver ran down Jensen’s naked frame.

“State if you’re willing, Omega.” the dealer said, even as the other players began wandering off, two older Alphas hung back to hear Jensen’s answer. Their hungry gazes making it obvious that they planned on propositioning him themselves if he turned down Jared. For the past few hours, Jensen’s heat scent had been working their libidos as well as Jared’s.

Chris and Chad stood at the door to the room, waiting to hear Jensen’s answer. Ty and Osric came into view, standing right behind them. Alerted to the end of the game by the exodus of players.

Even if this was exactly what they’d planned for, Chris told Jensen earlier that he’d wait to hear him submit before leaving. If Jensen, for any reason, changed his mind, Chris and Osric planned on grabbing Jensen and getting him out of there, fast. They had a hotel room rented and ready for him nearby, where he could take the new suppressants and ride out his heat until they kicked in. Chad and Ty had suppressants and a room ready for Jared at another hotel as well, which was closer than his fancy home in a gated community on the outskirts of the city. There, Chad and Ty would reveal all their schemes to Jared and just pray that he would forgive them.

Jensen raised his head, chin tilting proudly as he met Jared’s hazel stare head-on. “Yes, I submit.” he said, firmly and loudly.

Jared’s lip curled in a slight sneer even as he pulled his jacket off and wrapped it around Jensen’s naked body. The large jacket coming to mid-thigh on Jensen. Jared then bent slightly at the knee and threw Jensen over one broad shoulder, the smaller man totally not squeaking in surprise.

Glaring at the remaining two Alphas, Jared snarled at them. “MINE!” he rumbled.

The two held their hands up in acceptance and stepped out of his way.

Jared then stalked out of the room and up the hall. His overheated body and wolf mind urging him to get his mate to a private place fast and soon. At the stairs, Jared climbed them effortlessly, as if Jensen didn’t weigh a thing. All around them people openly stared.

Many there knew Jared and even had a nickname for him. ‘The Greek Sculpture’ they called him because he was physically perfect yet cold as stone. To see him acting like a typically possessive Alpha was a novelty for them. Many of the party-goers ached to whip out their phones and start telling their friends, family or business associates about this new Padalecki. But all knew the rules of the Party. Instead, many of them paired off or joined into large groups as they all began talking about Jared and this mystery Omega of his.


	21. ROUGH SEX

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Due to some requests for more warning because of the triggers in this chapter I'm letting y'all know now that this chapter has some rape-like characteristics.
> 
> However, after a long discussion with my betas, we decided that it is more a rough handling of a rut/heat and not actually a rape. So I added a 'Dubious Consent' tag but will not mark it as a 'Rape/Non-Con' fic.

_”I am what I want you to want, What I want you to feel, But it's like no matter what I do, I can't convince you, To just believe this is real.”_  
“Meteora” - Linkin Park

 

When Jared finally found an empty room and locked them inside of it, Jensen thought he’d get shoved off of Jared’s shoulders and the big man would light into him with questions and accusations.

Instead, Jared dropped him onto the large, neatly made bed, shifting Jensen so that he landed face-up on the bed, then letting his full weight drop on Jensen immediately after - knocking the air out of him for a second before leaning up a bit to let him catch a breath. He took a second to rip his jacket off of Jensen and then throw it to the side. He then pressed down, large thighs pushing between Jensen’s slightly bowed legs, hips settling firmly in the cradle the gap provided. Jensen could feel Jared’s long, thick erection pressing against his own, the friction causing him to groan at the delicious feel of it. 

Jared starts kissing him roughly, the kiss more like a punishment with its harshness. Jensen mumbles and struggles to move his head, but Jared grips the underside of his jaw with one large hand, long hard fingers digging in to hold him still, his grip probably bruising him.

“Mmf… Jared… we should, don’t you think..” Jensen gasped, trying to push Jared back to give him time to catch his breath and speak.

Jared reared back slightly to glare down at Jensen. “No! No talking!”

“Don’t you think we _should_ talk? It’s been years…”

“Exactly! Years you’ve denied me. But now you’ve submitted. No more waiting!”

“But what about…”

“ What about _what_ , Jensen? How did you think this was gonna turn out, huh? That you would just waltz back into my life and I’d welcome you back with open arms?”

“No, but we could at least talk, before…”

“I don’t wanna hear anything you have to say because nothing you say will make a bit of difference! I’m gonna fuck you into this mattress, get you out of my system, then finally, _finally_ move the fuck on! You can do whatever or whoever the fuck you want after that!”

Jensen looked at him with hurt eyes. Brow creased, a sheen of tears building in his verdant green eyes.

Jared leaped off of Jensen as if the Hybrid was a hot stove top.

“DON’T YOU DO THAT! DON’T YOU FUCKING DARE! You can’t play the fucking victim here, Jensen! YOU are the one that left ME! You put us into a - I don’t know what to call it - A fucking mating limbo for TWELVE DAMN YEARS!”

“I’m sorry! Please, Jared!” Jensen scrambled to his knees in the middle of the bed, suddenly scared to death that Jared would walk out on him. Discarding what dignity he had left, Jensen bent at the waist, as if bowing to Jared. At that point, Jensen didn’t give a damn about pride or any of the liberal ideals he’d been raised to believe. All he knew was that he wanted to stop feeling so empty - to have the missing part of his soul to be filled. The wolf inside of him, normally quiet and controlled, was whining desperately. It’s mind screaming at Jensen to submit, to do whatever he could to appease his angry Alpha.

Jensen lowered his head to the bed, then reached back with both hands to pull the pert, creamy smooth cheeks of his ass apart. His hole, still damp from his earlier arousal, fluttered as the cool air in the room touched it. “I’m sorry, Jared… please Alpha.” he begged as his heat hit him full force.

“Begging and tears, Ackles? Do you really think that’ll work on me? Maybe before, but not now.”

“It’s the… the.. the supps… when I got off them, emotions came back with a v-vengeance.” Jensen replied, canting his head back to try and look up at Jared. “Can’t you feel it, too?”

“Why would I…” Jared’s words jerked to a stop and he took a step back. “Did you FUCK with my pills, Jensen?!”

Jensen clamped his mouth shut and looked back down at the bed.

“No, no… you couldn’t have. Sandy… it was Sandy or Chad or even _fucking_ Ty! Were you all in on this?!”

“They were just worried about you Jared. They felt you slipping away from them like you did with your family.” Jensen said firmly, turning to look up at Jared again. “When I contacted Sandy a couple months ago and told her about the new supps, I MADE her go along with it. This was all _my_ plan, don’t blame them!”

“You were at _Tristana_ too! That was _your_ scent all over the place!” Jared shouted.

Jensen nodded. “I was in the junior executive office, right next door. I needed to get your rut started. I needed you to come to me, not run away.”

“If memory serves, little H, _you’re_ the one that runs. But hey! You wanted my rut? You got it, baby!” Jared said, lips twisted into a feral snarl as he literally ripped his shirt from his body. Buttons went flying everywhere.

When he unbuckled and whipped his belt off, then paused to give Jensen a speculative look, Jensen bolted.

 _Oh, HELL no!_ Jensen thought. It was one thing to submit to a mating he’d long denied, quite another to meekly accept a beating. Jensen never did acquire a taste for _that_ particular kink.

Jared was on him before Jensen could take just two steps away from the bed. “Where do you think you’re going?” he growled.

With nearly no effort, Jared tackled Jensen to the floor, flipping the smaller man onto his stomach, then sitting on the back of his thighs as he leaned over to press down on Jensen’s shoulders with both large hands.

Jensen thrashed wildly, the intricate weave of the carpet scraping and rubbing harshly against his skin.

“Did you think I was gonna use my belt on you? Not into that, are you? Well, I am gonna use it on you, just not in the way you thought.” Jared sneered into Jensen’s ear. He then reared back into a sitting position, the pale, perky globes of Jensen’s ass framed by his muscular thighs.

Using the end of the belt without the buckle, Jared slapped the fine leather against one cheek, then the other. Jensen jerking at each light tap. 

Jared laid the belt on Jensen’s back then grabbed Jensen’s wrists. “I don’t get off on inflicting pain. That’s _your_ gig.” Jared drawled casually, then proceeded to tie Jensen’s hands .

“Jared, please. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I-I was scared. I was just a kid, we were both just kids! Please don’t do this!”

“You weren’t a kid, Jensen. You were just a selfish asshole who used me! Now you’re gonna know what it feels like to be used.”

Jensen’s neck twinged with pain as he struggled to turn and look back at Jared. He gasped when he saw the normally handsome man’s face twisted into a near caricature of itself. So much hate and anger on a face Jensen remembered as being bright and happy. The Hybrid’s heart twisted with regret and resignation.

Jensen stopped struggling to break free of the belt binding his hands and spread his legs wider and arched his back. Presenting himself as best as he could for his Alpha. He deserved whatever punishment Jared would mete out.

He would let Jared have whatever he wanted then let him go. Maybe with the better supps Jared would eventually be able to go back to the good Were he was supposed to be before Jensen came into his life.

Jensen couldn’t remember the last time he’d cried. But hot tears trickled down his face and soaked the sheets beneath him and he felt as if his heart had frozen, then cracked inside of his chest.

Biting his lip until it bled, Jensen held back his sobs as Jared prepped his hole as roughly and rapidly as Jensen knew he would. His heat providing enough lubrication but his formerly rock-hard cock now hanging limp beneath him.

When Jared pulled his fingers from him, Jensen had only enough time to gasp in a breath before Jared was pushing the large tip of his cock past Jensen’s opening and then shoving the rest of the way in.

He’d meant to stay quiet and give Jared what he needed, but at the feel of that impossibly large Alpha cock ramming deep into his virgin channel, a scream ripped itself up Jensen’s throat and out his bloodied and bitten lips.


	22. KNOTTING

_”Wishing I had strength to stand,  
This is not what I had planned,  
It's out of my control,  
Flying at the speed of light.”_  
“ _Waiting For The End_ ” - Linkin Park

 

 

Once he was completely sheathed, Jared felt what was left of his control slip away and then his wolf took over.

All thoughts of fucking Jensen and then leaving him as he’d been left all those years ago flew out of his head. His vision turned red as his rut took him over.

He ran his large hands over the expanse of soft, freckle-dusted skin stretched over supple, firm muscle. He reveled in tracing the wide shoulders, then running his hands down the smaller man’s back, the contrast of their skin tones pleasing him as he settled his hands in the curve of the waist, fingers spreading to grip hard as he pulled out then plunged back into the wet, slick, and perfect hole.

There was no doubt in his or his wolf’s mind that this man, this hybrid, was his and all Jared wanted to do was to mark him as such - in every way possible.

His fingers dug in harder, sure to leave bruises. Jared’s wolf liked that, but more was needed. His mate must be properly marked - _all over_.

Jared bent his long, muscled frame over Jensen, kissing and nibbling along one shoulder, then working his way across to the other. His nibbles turning to nips and scrapes of his teeth. All the while, his hips continued to piston his cock in and out of Jensen’s sweet hole. The scent of Jensen’s slick, the taste and feel of his skin overwhelming Jared’s senses.

It took him a couple of seconds to realize that the pounding in his head wasn’t the hot blood of his rut roaring through his body. The sound was coming from the door to the room and now he could also hear male voices shouting for his mate, asking if he was okay. One was an Alpha.

Jared snarled viciously, warning them off.

“Jared, we’re not trying to steal your mate. We just need to know he’s okay. Jensen... Can you hear us? Answer me.” The other Alpha demanded.

“I’m - I’m fine!” his mate called out, voice hoarse and tight with pain. Jared snarled at Jensen this time, angry that his mate had obeyed another Alpha, even if only to speak when spoken to.

Gripping Jensen’s hips even harder, nails digging in and drawing blood, Jared began pumping into Jensen harder and faster, Jensen crying out at the brutal pace. But his cries soon died down into soft whimpers and breathy gasps.

“Mine. Mine. Mine.” Jared kept chanting. His guttural voice repeating the word, Jensen’s soft whimpers, and the sound of sweaty skin repeatedly slapping together now the only sounds in the room. The men outside the door either withdrawing or just falling silent as they listened in.

Still feeling threatened, Jared suddenly pulled out of Jensen, eliciting another pained shout. Looping one long arm around Jensen’s waist, Jared picked him up off the floor and took him to the corner of the room furthest from the door.

“Jensen? Are you okay?” Christian shouted through the door.

This time Jared roared.

“G-Go away, Chris! You’re just p-pissing him off even more! I’m FINE!” the last word punched out of him when Jared flipped him as he laid him back down on the floor, Jensen’s bound hands now being pressed painfully into the hard floor beneath them. He gave another involuntary shout as Jared roughly parted his legs then pushed back inside of him with the same uncaring, rough speed as before. Jensen was pressing his head back into the floor as he struggled to breathe through the burn.

Jared could feel his knot forming as he frantically pushed in and out of Jensen. He could feel the tight ring of muscle of Jensen’s hole pulling on it as if it didn’t want to let him go. The pressure on his knot felt so exquisitely good it was nearly painful.

Jared settled his full body weight onto Jensen as he pushed his face up under the Hybrid’s chin and began kissing and nibbling at the sweaty skin there. His hips were swiveling or making short jabs as his knot inflated too big to pull out.

Jensen’s arms and hands were screaming with pain even as the rest of him was screaming something else entirely. Jared’s knot was now not only hitting his prostate but pushing and rubbing against it. Jensen knew by the tingling of his extremities and the tightening of his balls that he was close to coming.

Jared and Jensen were now both moaning and shouting incessantly as they neared their peaks. When Jared gave one more hard jab deep inside of Jensen, the Hybrid threw his head back and screamed even louder than before; his orgasm hitting him so hard his vision whitened and his mind blanked out.

The feel of Jensen’s channel clamping down on him sent Jared over the edge, his knot fully inflated and locking them together.

Just then, the door flew in. The lock and a piece of the door's jamb falling to the floor as Christian stormed in - Chad clinging to one arm and Osric to the other. Ty ran in behind them and snatched Chris up by the waist. His Alpha strength allowing him to pull the crazed Hybrid back and off his feet.


	23. MATING

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because this chapter and the one before was SO short I decided to post them on the same day. Felt wrong giving y'all just one short chapter. 
> 
> But now, y'all are caught up to where I am in the writing of this story. So you may or may not have longer to wait for the next chapter. We'll see how the old muse does. :)

_”It's too late to love me now  
You have never shown me  
It's too late to love me now  
You don't even know me  
Breaking a part of my heart to find release  
Taking you out of my blood to bring me peace.”_  
“ _And One_ ” - Linkin Park

 

“LET ME GO! I WILL RIP YOUR ARMS OFF, OLSSON, I SWEAR TO LUNA!” Christian raged, struggling to break free of the three Weres holding him back.

Jared snarled thunderously then pushed up off of Jensen, balanced on his hands and feet. Jensen dragged in a full breath, with Jared’s weight off, he was now free to do so, even if he had to push up from the floor a bit seeing as how Jared’s cock was still firmly locked inside of him.

When Jared shifted to face the intruders at the door, he dragged Jensen across the floor by his knot causing Jensen to cry out in pain.

Chad let go of Christian’s arm then plastered himself to the front of his mate’s body using his entire body to push back at the Hybrid. “If you challenge Jared, he will be forced to pull out of Jensen before it’s safe to do so. It will rip Jensen apart... It will hurt Jensen, Chris… STOP!” Chad whispered fiercely into his mate’s ear.

Christian stopped trying to push forward. Indecision and raw angst twisting his features. “He’s got him tied up! The motherfucker had to tie him up!” Chris shouted in frustration.

Jensen twisted his body to look up at Christian, his heat making his eyes as dark a red as Jared’s. “No Chris. I let him tie me up. I let it happen. Please, you have to leave!”

By then, Ty had lowered Christian back onto his feet, but kept his arms wrapped around the smaller man. Thinning his lips in determination, Christian surged forward another couple of steps dragging the other three with him. Jensen’s shout of pain stopping him when Jared tugged experimentally on his knot, growls blending into warning snarls again.

“STOP, Chris! For the love of Luna, stop! It’s Ty that’s setting Jared off. He’s an Alpha and you’re dragging him closer.” Jensen begged, voice high with pain and desperation.

“Let me go, Ty, then get outta here!” Christian growled.

“No! Only way I’m leaving this room is if you leave with me. You’re not thinking straight, man, and I won’t let you attack Jared.”

“I can’t leave. Jensen is like a brother. He’s the only family I have left and that son of a bitch is hurting him!”

Jensen was in a quandary. He was touched yet not surprised at Chris’ protectiveness. They’d been looking after each other since they were kids. Even when Jensen was under the supps and his affection and warmth for the other man had waned, his loyalty to Christian never had.

But now, in this situation, it wasn’t a matter of loyalty between his mate and his best friend-slash-brother. If Christian took on Jared, Jensen was pretty sure that Jared would win. But not before both men caused grievous injuries to each other and _that_ Jensen knew he wouldn’t be able to stand around and just watch. 

Hybrids may be able to control their inner wolves better than full Weres, but even they are susceptible to the intense emotional bond they have with their mates.

The moment Jared knotted him, Jensen felt their bond solidify and strengthen. If Jared pulling out of him prematurely didn’t incapacitate him, Jensen was deathly afraid that he’d end up attacking and hurting his old friend in defense of his new mate.


	24. SOULMATE MARKS

_”I watched you fall apart and chased you to the end, I'm left with emptiness that words cannot defend, You'll never know what I became because of you”_  
“ _Powerless_ ” - Linkin Park

 

Jensen cried out again when Jared gave another slight pull on his knot, but with the drag across the floor, Jensen felt the belt around his wrists come loose. Working his hands free, Jensen reached up to wrap his arms around Jared’s neck even as he raised his legs to lock them around Jared’s narrow waist as well.

Using this position, Jensen pulled down on Jared even as he thrust up with his hips, seating Jared even deeper inside of him.

Jared’s growls smoothed out even as the younger man instinctively rolled his hips to meet the motion of Jensen’s upward thrusts. The Hybrid beneath him letting loose a low groan of pure pleasure.

“G-get out of here, Chris. He’s my m-mate. He’s not doing anything I didn’t approve of. Please!” Jensen said, ending on a shout as Jared’s knot pulsed against his prostate, sending another jet of hot come deep inside of his already leaking hole.

Frowning with indecision, Chris let the others pull him out of the room. Osric let go as soon as they cleared the threshold to wrestle the haphazardly hanging door back into place. Before he could get it fully closed, Chris called out to Jensen.

“I’ll be out here, Jen! I won’t interfere again, but if you need me, I’ll be right here!”

“FUCK OFF!” Jared snarled, just as Osric managed to close the door completely.

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Later, when Jared’s knot subsided, the Alpha pulled out of Jensen then went into the ensuite bathroom without a word to Jensen, closing the door firmly behind him.

Groaning softly, Jensen crawled over to the bed, wincing as he climbed up onto it. As he sat on the edge, he could feel Jared’s seed seeping out of him and soaking the probably expensive covers beneath him. He examined his bruised wrists and the small cuts on his hips. The abrasions and rug burns from the floor were too minor to worry about. He could feel other points of soreness all over his body. The only wound Jensen was lacking but desperately craved was a claiming bite. He knew why Jared hadn’t given it to him and realized with a heavy heart that his mate must’ve fought his instincts to keep from biting Jensen.

Jared may have given in and mated him, but he made a crystal clear statement to Jensen by not claiming him. This mating was done purely out of necessity. He didn’t want Jensen.

Jared was okay with sating their ruts and heats, which would forevermore negate the need for suppressants and ease the pain of holding back a mating. But by not claiming Jensen, it meantf that Jared didn’t find him acceptable as a mate. Jensen’s shoulders slumped in defeat as his eyes pricked with tears. 

He was getting what he deserved. He broke Jared’s heart a long time ago. It was bittersweet, but it felt well-deserved that his own was breaking now.

Jared came out of the bathroom and got under the covers on the other side of the bed. “I called the owner of the house from the phone in the bathroom. He said we could have the room for as long as we needed it. Clean up then get some rest, we’re gonna be here a while.”

Jensen nodded, back to Jared and biting his bottom lip to hold back the pleas he could feel clogging the back of his throat. Getting up, he walked into the bathroom. In the shower, he let his tears fall silently as he washed himself.

He returned to the room naked and got in the bed with Jared, lying as close to the edge of his side of the bed as he could, staring up at the darkened ceiling above.

Jensen didn’t know when he’d fallen asleep or for how long before he jerked awake at the feel of Jared turning him onto his side, facing him away from Jared then pulling his body toward the middle of the large bed until his back was pressed to Jared’s chest and his ass pressed up against Jared’s crotch. That was when he noticed how hot he was feeling and that his hole was once again dripping with his heat coming back.

This happened again and again throughout the night until Jensen lost track of how many times Jared woke him up before sliding inside of him. Sometimes from behind or by rolling on top of him and pushing his way between Jensen’s legs. One time, he’d even pulled Jensen on top of him and made him ride his cock by holding him by the hips and maneuvering Jensen how he wanted him.

No matter the position, Jared didn’t talk to him and refused to answer when Jensen talked to him, until Jensen finally stopped trying.

As the night wore on, the intervals between their matings grew longer and longer until the sun began lighting the sky outside the large windows that ran along one side of the guest room. 

Jensen stared out the windows as Jared fucked him from behind, both laid on their sides but only their lower halves pressed together. Jared had one of Jensen’s legs draped over his thigh and had one of his large hands planted firmly on Jensen’s flat stomach; holding him in place as he pushed and pulled himself in and out of Jensen’s lax body.

Their heat and rut was finally abating. Jensen guessed that in an hour or less, the low level heat burn would be completely gone. He wasn’t sure what it would be like to not have that burn there. It had always been there, it seemed. Even when on supps. It was weird to think he wouldn’t be feeling it again until his next heat cycle came around.

When Jared forced his other hand between the bed and Jensen’s hip so that he could hold him with both hands, Jensen arched his back and braced himself with one hand on Jared’s bicep, while the other hand twisted in the sheets.

Growling in approval, Jared’s hips began to pump faster and harder. The large head of his cock nailing Jensen's prostate with every push. Jensen’s throat was raw from all the moaning and shouting through the night, but he didn’t even notice. He was too caught up in the now exquisite feel of Jared’s large member fucking him just right.

Jensen’s moans grew louder as Jared’s knot began growing, slipping in and out of him with lewd squelching noises, as Jared’s pace picked up even more.

“Fuckin’ HELL, Jared!” Jensen groaned, unable to keep quiet any longer.

At the sound of Jensen’s raspy voice, Jared’s whole body seized as his orgasm hit him like a hundred foot wave - crashing over him and nearly rendering him senseless.

Jensen’s orgasm hit him the moment he felt the first hot spurt of Jared’s come inside of him, his wail cut off when his voice gave out mid-shout. He could feel his channel rippling then clamping down when Jared’s knot fully inflated, stretching him in the now familiar and delicious way that it did.

As he slowly came back to his senses, Jensen’s eyes began to droop with exhaustion. Now that the end of their heat and rut was near, Jensen was hoping he would get one last chance to talk to Jared. To try and convince him to give them a chance, but the lethargy that spread through his body overruled any talking and in less than a minute, Jensen was out cold.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Jensen was still asleep when Jared woke to the feel of his now flaccid member slipping out of the Hybrid. Using the corner of the sheet draped over his hip, Jared wiped himself as clean as he could as he stared intently at his seed seeping slowly out of Jensen.

Throughout the night, even when he was in the middle of fucking Jensen, Jared could sense the underlying sadness emanating from his mate. He knew it was because he hadn’t bitten and claimed Jensen. He knew his mate saw it as a rejection and in a way it was. No matter how blissful it felt to have Jensen fully mated as they were meant to be, a part of him couldn’t let go of the resentment and bitterness he’d built up over the years.

Jared was well aware of the bastard he’d turned into over the years and knew about all the partners whose feelings he’d hurt or hearts he’d broken no matter that he’d never made promises to any of them. The supps dulled pain and strong emotions, but it didn’t kill a person’s conscience or sense of right and wrong. But he’d allowed his anger and what he thought had been hatred for Jensen to make him cold to other’s feelings. And in all honesty, he couldn’t entirely blame Jensen for that. That blame was also on him.

He knew now that he didn’t hate Jensen, but he also couldn’t find it in himself to trust him. Because of that lack of trust, even his wolf was in accord when it came to fully claiming him.

Rising from the bed, forgoing another shower, Jared slowly got dressed. When he was ready to leave, he considered just walking out, but felt he had to finally say something to the Hybrid still sleeping peacefully in the bed.

Walking around to Jensen’s side of the bed, he paused to stare down at the man, his brilliant hazel eyes dark with sorrow as they took in the older man’s features.

There were faint crow’s feet at the corners of Jensen’s eyes but his lashes were thick and full as they laid on the still adorably freckled cheeks. His red, sore-looking plush lips were parted slightly as the man breathed and his dark-blonde hair was a mess. To Jared, his mate looked better than he had when they were kids.

His own reddened and swollen lips firmed with resolve as he leaned over to lightly shake Jensen awake. When the Hybrid’s brilliant green eyes opened then focused on Jared, he could feel his knees shake every so slightly as he strove to keep his composure.

When those beautiful eyes filled with instant understanding of what was going on with Jared, they also filled with unshed tears. Jared had to step back and look away. He’d lied when he’d told Jensen earlier that his tears had no effect on him. They had way too much effect on him. Jared stared out the window as he waited for Jensen to fully wake up.

“You’re leaving, aren’t you?” Jensen said in a hoarse whisper. “Jared, _please_. I love you. I always have. I was just too stupid to realize it. I will spend the rest of my life proving it to you, just please, don’t go.”

Still refusing to turn and look at Jensen, Jared wet his suddenly dry lips and talked to the faint reflection of Jensen in the window. “Our mating cycle shouldn’t come around again for three months. Leave your contact info with Sandy and we’ll make arrangements to meet up halfway each time. But I don’t want to see you again for anything other than our mating. I wanna stay off the supps from now on and if that’s the only way to do it then so be it.”

He saw Jensen’s reflection slump in defeat, the man’s head nodding in acceptance.

Jared didn’t know why, because he sure didn’t owe anything to the Hybrid, but he felt the urge to explain his decision.

“I don’t hate you Jensen. I don’t know if I ever did. I do forgive you for running from me and staying gone all these years.” Jared turned to finally look Jensen straight in the eye as he continued speaking. “The way your parents raised you, it’s like you were just as much a victim of your biology as I was.”

Jensen frowned, then shook his head minutely. “No. I let myself be blinded ‘cos my life was easier if I went along with my parents. They bought me nice cars and nice clothes and all this material shit that never mattered. Then, when I realized that all that they’d taught me was wrong I was too much of a coward to face you again.”

“So why now? Why’d you come to me and cook up this crazy plan now?!”

“Because I realized I was more scared of losing you forever than of facing you.”

“Losing me forever, _what_?!”

“You nearly died, Jared! When you ended up in the hospital for an overdose, Sandy called me from the ER. She’s been in contact with me ever since. All through your recovery in the hospital, your stint in rehab, _all_ of it! Chad and Sandy were nearly out of their minds with worry over you and so was I.”

“So all this was like an intervention?”

“Yes, but not really.”

“What do you mean and why couldn’t you have just come and talked to me?”

Jensen barked out a derisive laugh. “Sandy told me about how you ran when Jeff showed up out of the blue to try and bring you back into your family. Decided to go on a sudden tour of ALL your facilities including the one in Brazil, I hear?”

“It was overdue anyways. You still haven’t answered what you meant by ‘not really’.”

Jensen sighed gustily, then climbed out of the bed with a lot of moans and groans. Jared averted his gaze. The single glimpse of Jensen’s body littered with the marks and bruises Jared had put there, had his cock twitching in his pants. Obviously, he didn't need his rut to still want the man.

Employing Jared’s quick-clean methods, Jensen used the bedsheets (he almost felt sorry for whoever had to clean this room later) to wipe at the dried come on his abdomen and then between his legs. He then paused when he realized he had no clothes to put on. They’d left them behind in the game room. 

Turning back to the bed, Jensen stripped each layer of bedding until he got down to the final bed sheet which had been protected from most of the evidence left behind by their night’s endeavors. Folding it then fitting it around his hips until he had a sort of half-toga covering his private parts.

Finally, he turned to face Jared again. “When we first came up with the plan to get you off the supps, it was initially just to help you regain your full emotions so that maybe you would start giving a fuck about your well-being again. But as we worked it out, I thought maybe it could be a chance for us to reunite so that we could talk and maybe work things out.”

“So how did that sane, rational plan turn into this shitstorm?”

“Dude, Jeff is your brother. You grew up with him and yet you ran when he showed up in Vegas. I remember how much he cared about you when we were kids. Is he still as big as he was back then?”

“Bigger.”

“Oh… great. Well, now you know everything. You said you forgave me, earlier, can’t you give me a chance to make it up to you?”

“Make it up to me?” Jared laughed, bitterly. Turning around, Jared fixed Jensen with a narrowed stare. Hazel eyes darkening with rage as he stalked toward the hybrid.

Realizing his mistake, Jensen hastily backed up until his back hit the wall near the main door to the room with a loud thud.

Resting one hand on the wall above Jensen’s head, Jared leaned in to lock eyes with the man he once thought he could spend the rest of his life with.

“I don’t have to forgive or _give_ you a damn thing, Jensen! I may be willing to mate you but that’s _only_ to ease MY rut. I have no choice about that.”

Jared’s eyes shifted towards the door as it opened slowly to reveal a rumpled Christian and Chad standing and staring at him with bloodshot eyes. His eyes came back to stare down into Jensen’s pleading gaze.

“I may have forgiven you for running scared twelve years ago and for staying scared for all these years. But you turned me into the kind of Alpha your mother always warned you about. _That_ I can never forgive.”

Pulling away from Jensen, Jared turned and opened the door the rest of the way. Just as he was about to walk out the door and leave, he paused to look at Jensen. His eyes trailed over the older man’s profile as if committing Jensen’s features to memory. Jensen blinked, coming out of the shock Jared’s last words had sent him into, then turned his head to gaze up at Jared with dewy eyes.

“I’ll call you in three months when my rut starts up. If your heat hits before my rut, call me. But other than that, stay out of my life and leave me the fuck alone, Jensen.” And then he was gone.


	25. EXES TRYING AGAIN

_”...trying to figure out what it's like moving on  
And I don't even know what kind of things I said  
My mouth kept moving and my mind went dead  
So, picking up the pieces, now where to begin  
The hardest part of ending is starting again”_  
“ _Waiting for the End_ ” - Linkin Park

 

**THREE MONTHS AFTER VEGAS**

 

_-Hilton Pointe Resort, Phoenix AZ-_

Jared woke Jensen the morning after their night of mating with a gentle, yet firm shake to the smaller man’s shoulder. He thought meeting up to fuck a mate he could barely stand to look at would make the sex awkward, but just like before, the moment their heat-rut took over, the sex was amazing.

Since they first mated, Jared hadn’t taken on any new lovers or visited any of the old ones. Not even Ty. He just didn’t seem to have the urge to do so. But that was something Jensen didn’t need to know.

He frowned in confusion at how hard a time Jensen seemed to be having at waking up. It was then that Jared noticed the dark circles under Jensen’s eyes and the way his cheeks seemed to be slightly hollowed. These slight changes after only three months apart disturbed Jared even if it really shouldn’t.

Before he could think twice about it, Jared sat on the edge of the bed and reached out to tip Jensen’s face up further so he could take an even closer look at him.

“Why do you look so wiped out? What’s going on with you?”

“It’s nothing. Nothing you need to concern yourself with.” Jensen answered as he pulled his chin free of Jared’s hold. His rough morning voice sending a tingle down Jared’s spine.

“You’re my mate. It’s my job to care. What’s going on, Jensen?”

“My dad is sick. Cancer. I moved back home to help my Mom and Josh take care of him. Mack should be home too, by the time I get back.”

“It’s that serious? Is he doing chemo and radiation?”

“He doesn’t want it. The stubborn son of a bitch wants to go out on his own terms.” Jensen burst into tears.

As Jared held him and let him cry himself back to sleep, he told himself that he would’ve done the same for anyone else and that it had nothing to do with the gnawing urge to comfort and protect his mate.

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

**SIX MONTHS AFTER VEGAS**

 

_-Hilton Pointe Resort, Phoenix AZ-_

Jared stared up at Jensen as the Hybrid rode him with a near mindless intensity. At Alan Ackles’ funeral five days ago, Jensen had looked as strong as stone as he stood by his mother’s side and supported her. He’d also looked as cold as stone, too. 

But now, in the darkened hotel room lit only by the moonlight streaming in the French doors, Jensen looked like a fiery god. His green eyes blazed down at Jared, his pale freckled skin seemed to shimmer and the heat that rolled off of him felt almost hot enough to singe him.

When Jared awoke in the morning, Jensen was already gone.

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

**NINE MONTHS AFTER VEGAS**

 

_-Hilton Pointe Resort, Phoenix AZ-_

“Thanks for waiting for me at the airport.” Jensen said, as he climbed out of the passenger side of the sleek black Mercedes Jared had rented.

“Welcome back to the Pointe, Mr. Ackles, Mr. Padalecki.” said the young bellman who’d opened the door for Jensen.

“Thanks, Dennis. How’s college going?”

“Oh, it’s keeping me busy that’s for sure.” the young man said, then rushed off to ensure that the valet had Jared and Jensen’s rolling suitcases properly loaded onto a cart before taking over while the valet rushed to park the car. He then made small talk with the both of them as he followed them into the large, elegant yet airy lobby.

Because Jared had made a standing reservation for every three months, check in was as quick as a greeting at the front desk and a handing over of two key card packets for each of them.

Dennis knew he didn’t have to explain any of the amenities, seeing as how they’ve had the same bungalow since they started meeting up to mate about six months ago. So as soon as he placed their suitcases on the luggage racks in their room, he informed them of the live band at the pool bar that night, accepted Jared’s tip graciously, then left the suite with a quiet closing of the main door.

“How’s your heat?”Jared asked.

“Still a low simmer, I didn’t get a chance to stop for a bite so I’m kinda hungry. Was thinking of heading down to the bar for their awesome sliders. Care to join me?”

“I already ate. I was looking forward to a swim before we settle in for the night.”

Nodding, Jensen removed his room key from its packet and slipped it into his jeans pocket. He transferred his wallet from his jacket to another pocket of his jeans, then removed his jacket and hung it on a nearby high-backed chair. The dark blue polo he wore beneath it was good enough for the climate controlled confines of the hotel.

“See you later, then.” he said, as he left the room.

Nearly an hour later, Jared leaves the large lit pool and uses a nearby outdoor shower to rinse off the chlorine water. Drying off his hair and body as best he could with a towel from a stack provided by the hotel, Jared wrapped himself in the large white robe he’d snagged from the room before heading down to the pool.

Despite the cool swim, he could feel his body heating up as his rut ratcheted up to the point where he knew he had to find Jensen, and find him _fast_. Just as he rounded the corner that led to the outside entrance for the restaurant bar Jensen had said he was going to, he spotted two security guards dragging an irate Alpha in his mid-40s toward the main Lobby. Coming out the door behind them was another security guard escorting Jensen out, supporting his mate by one arm. Jared’s breath locking in his throat as his heart began racing with worry. His breath gushed out of him and he inhaled noisily as he began walking faster.

“JENSEN!” he shouted, worriedly.

The Hybrid had been looking down, letting the guard guide him but his head shot up at Jared’s shout and Jared noted the look of relief and happiness on his beautiful face before registering that his entire left cheek was a bright red as if he’d been hit.

Dropping the towel he’d been using to rub at his hair, Jared rushed across the small courtyard.

“I’m fine. I’m fine!” Jensen called out to him.

As soon as Jared reached him, he used the bulk of his body to ease the guard away from his mate. One large hand replacing the guards hold on Jensen’s arm, the other going up to run gentle fingers over Jensen’s fast-bruising cheek. His mate’s beautiful skin always bruised so easily.

“What the hell happened?” he growled, shooting the guard a furious look.

The guard chuckled, then rushed to explain when Jared’s scowl deepened. “The jackass my co-workers just dragged off kept hitting on your mate and wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer. When your mate told him off, the guy slapped him.”

Jared’s whole body stiffened and he took a step toward where the other guards had dragged the guy, but Jensen switched the hold on his arm and he was now the one holding Jared firmly by the forearm. “Don’t even think about it. Last thing we need is for us to end up having to mate in some jail cell. I can take care of myself.”

The guard chuckled while looking at Jensen with admiring eyes. “I can vouch for that! When the jerk started getting insulting, the bartender called security. I walked in just as the guy slapped him, then your mate threw a perfect right hook and knocked the sucker flat on his ass! I think he even broke the guy’s nose!”

To Jensen’s surprise, Jared used Jensen’s hold on his arm to pull him closer until the entire front of their bodies were pressed together and Jared looped his arm around Jensen’s waist. His other hand cupped Jensen’s injured cheek as he smiled softly down at his mate.

“My tough little Hybrid.” he murmured.

Feeling the rest of his face turning red, Jensen ducked his head and looked up at Jared through his lashes. “I’m not ‘little’.” he groused.

To Jensen’s further shock, Jared tipped Jensen’s face up with his hand then leaned down to catch his lips in a searing kiss. 

Even with all the sex they’d been having, Jared’s kisses were few and far between. When he did kiss Jensen it had always been forceful with a tinge of punishment in them. Jensen hadn’t cared, he’d always welcomed them eagerly.

This kiss was different. The passion and intensity Jared always brought to their mating was still there but there was also a gentleness, a sort of reverence that took Jensen’s breath away.

The sound of the guard loudly clearing his throat broke them apart, but it still took a couple more seconds of he and Jared staring breathlessly at each other before Jensen’s brain began to function properly once again.

“Room.” he said, hoarsely.

Jared nodded. “Now!”

Grabbing Jensen by the hand, Jared turned and began tugging him along, eager to get him back to their room.

“The cops will need a statement from you when they get here!” the guard called out to them.

“I’m in heat! They’ll have to wait ‘til tomorrow.” Jensen called back.

“But, what about your dinner?”

“Wrap it up and save it for me!” Jensen shouted, pulling back on Jared to turn and look back at the guard, worriedly. “Don’t let them throw it out, man!”

Jared stepped back into view from behind the large, potted azalea he’d been trying to lead Jensen past. “You can have the one he left behind, but can you have two more of exactly what he ordered sent up to our room in about an hour?”

The guard grinned and nodded as Jensen waved goodbye and let Jared lead him back to their room.

“I can’t believe you just gave away my food!” Jensen grumbled.

Jared shocked him for the third time by throwing his head back and laughing.

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

**ONE YEAR AFTER VEGAS**

 

_-Hilton Pointe Resort, Phoenix AZ-_

Jared nuzzled his face into the side of Jensen’s neck, giving the sweaty skin there a soft kiss before flopping onto his back beside him on the bed. After a couple of minutes of them just trying to catch their breath, Jared turned tiredly to the nightstand on his side of the bed and opened the drawer. The weak rays of dawn’s light lighting up the golden skin of his broad shoulders, making Jensen sigh softly as he looked his fill.

Turning back to Jensen, he reached over to grab his mate’s left hand. Before Jensen could ask what he was up to, Jared slipped a simple gold band on Jensen’s ring finger.

“I was thinking about what happened here last year with that jerk who hit you. Maybe this will help to keep anything like that from ever happening again. Don’t make a big thing out of it.” He then closed his eyes and pretended to go back to sleep until he really did fall into a deep and satisfied slumber.

 

\--------------------------------------------------

 

_Roughly twelve hours later, Jared’s Condo - Las Vegas_

Jared sits at his desk in his office, both hands covering his face, as he listened to Donna Ackles call him every bad name he’s ever heard of, as well as some he hadn’t.

“...IF YOU THINK YOU COULD JUST PLUNK A RING ON MY SON’S HAND AND _NOT_ GIVE HIM A PROPER WEDDING YOU’VE GOT ANOTHER THINK COMING, MISTER! BAD ENOUGH YOU WON’T CLAIM HIM BUT TO DO _THIS_?! I SWEAR TO LUNA, JARED. IF YOU DON’T DO RIGHT BY MY BOY, I WILL...”

Jared uncovered his face as Donna’s tirade cut off, and then he heard Jensen’s voice drawing closer.

“Mom? What are you doing? Who are you talking to?”

“Nothing. No one, dear.”

“I heard you say ‘Jared’, did you call him even after you promised you’d stay out of it?!”

(the sound of a scuffle, then Jensen’s voice coming through clearly.)

“Jared? If you get this message, just ignore her. My mom’s off her meds…”

“JENSEN ROSS ACKLES!” Jared could hear Donna’s voice rise with anger.

Then Jensen whispers into the phone. “Ignore her, Jared. I like the ring. It’s fine. You don’t have to do anything more, no matter what our mothers say.”

(CLICK, ‘end of messages’ his answering machine informs him)

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

**ONE YEAR, THREE MONTHS AFTER VEGAS**

 

_Ackles Residence, Richardson TX_

Sherrie and Donna watched their sons moving gracefully on the dance floor. The spotlight highlighting them as Jared led Jensen in their first dance.

“Why does he have to be so stubborn?” Sherrie lamented.

“Well, he _is_ your son.” Donna said, with a small smile.

“Excuse me? I’m not the stubborn one here, if you recall.”

Donna hugged her, laughing softly. 

“To make us plan and hold a wedding within three months so that he could have his wedding night on the day of mating because it was more convenient? When I asked him earlier if he would finally claim Jensen he told me to mind my own business. I love my son, Donna, but sometimes I just wanna wring his neck! Why can’t he see how perfect they are together? Even Alan thought so.”

When Alan had gotten sick, Donna had been surprised, then grateful when Sherrie had returned to Richardson to lend support. She’d spent nearly as much time by Alan’s bedside as Donna and Jensen had.

She’d also been a godsend in keeping the household running while Donna was practically useless, spending most of her time crying before and after Alan had passed on. Mackenzie and Josh’s children had even taken to calling her Mama Sherrie. Then, when Alan had taken a turn for the worse in his last days, Gerald had also returned to Richardson to be there to support both women.

Donna was saddened that Alan couldn’t be here to see his middle child, the last of his children to do so, take his marriage vows. But Donna knew that if Alan was still around then what she, Gerald, and Sherrie planned on telling their children tonight would probably never have come to pass. She still wasn’t sure if what they were about to do was going to work out, but all three felt it was time to stop the lies.

A couple of hours later, Jared and Jensen lay in Jensen’s bed in his old room, slightly sweaty from their first bout of mating. 

“You still thinking about it?” Jared asked, softly.

“Yeah, how could I not? The whole hating of Alphas was because my mom and _your_ mom were in love and they had to split up ‘cos your mom met your dad, who was actually dating _MY_ mom, first? I’ve got a headache just trying to sort it all out.”

Jared huffed amusedly. “Then, they also tell us that our moms wanna get back together and that my dad will be courting your mom with the goal of making her his second mate so that they can live happily ever after as tri-mates? I’m gonna need an industrial strength Motrin after working that one out. We’ll be back here again for another wedding within the year, I bet. Why go through all this drama and confusion now... at their age?”

“I think it’s kinda sweet.” Jensen murmured, fighting to keep his eyes open.

“That’s ‘cos you’re a hopeless romantic.” Jared said, yawning loudly.

“Mm.” was all Jensen said in reply, nearly asleep.

“You know, it’s not true what I said to you in Vegas.”

“Hm?” Jensen frowned slightly, fighting to open his eyes and figure out what Jared was talking about.

“When I said you turned me into the kind of Alpha your mother used to warn you about.”

Jensen’s eyes flew open. “B-but I _did_. If I hadn’t run, you never would’ve gone on the supps, and…”

“That was just an excuse, Jensen. I wanted to hurt you. I never blamed you for turning me into the bastard I became. That was all me.”

Turning onto his side so that he could look at Jared, Jensen bit his bottom lip in indecision. Finally, he took a deep breath. “What are you saying, Jared?”

Jared was quiet at first, and Jensen thought he wouldn’t answer. But then, he turned until he was facing Jensen and looking him straight in the eyes.

“I’m saying that I don’t know yet if I can love you again, like I used to. But I care about you. I’m definitely possessive over you and I can’t be with anyone else because you’re always on my mind. Maybe, just maybe there’s a way we can make us work.”

Jensen’s smile was like the dawn that always greeted them after every one of their mating nights. Softly lit, with the promise of a bright day.

 

 

**::EPILOGUE::**

**ONE YEAR, NINE MONTHS AFTER VEGAS**

 

“I can’t believe he sold his company.” Jensen said, for what felt like the hundredth time.

“He didn’t, exactly.” Chad replied, as he peeled back the wrapper on his mega-sized burger and took a huge bite. “Mph… good. He just shold the controlling interesht to Ty. He’sh shtill on the board.”

“Ugh, stop talking with your mouth full. Chew then swallow, man!”

Chad chewed furiously, then swallowed and took a sip from the large cup of juice in front of him. He then leaned back to pat his huge stomach, lovingly. “I can’t help it! I’m _always_ hungry ‘cos of these mutants and you’re encouraging conversation, dude! You should be fuckin’ happy he retired to being a board member. If he’d stayed on as CEO he’d have had to stay in Vegas. Knowing you, you’d probably move there to be with him.”

“I wouldn’t have minded.”

“Yeah, but you’d have hated it. Especially now that you just started your new security company here in Richardson.” Chad took another big bite, then kept talking through the food in his mouth.

“And shince Chrish ish yer partner, ya would’ve left him to do all the work and I love my hubby, but he shucksh at managing.” Chad swallowed, drank, then stuck his food-coated tongue out at Jensen. “Now let me eat in peace!”

“Okay, yeah… you’re disgusting. Fine! I won’t bother you until the five-minute break between your meals.” Jensen teased.

“Fuck you, Ackle-lecki!” Chad retorted, before taking another huge bite.

Just then, Jared and Christian came striding up. Chris had a huge grin on his face as his gaze settled lovingly on his mate.

Cradling Chad’s stuffed cheeks with both hands, Chris leaned down to kiss him on the nose, grinning when he pulled back to look down at Chad’s grumpy expression. “Still stuffing your face, I see. Good thing I love this look on you.”

“You’re jusht jealoush I can eat all I want and shtill look hotter than fuck.” Chad huffed, swallowing his food then pulling his face from Chris’ hand to take another sip of his juice.

“You and your dirty mouth.” Chris laughed, ignoring the shocked look from another young mother sitting nearby.

Jared took the seat beside Jensen, leaning over to wrap his arms around his mate. He softly kissed the claiming scar on the side of Jensen’s neck before whispering into one adorably freckled ear.

“The plane just landed, they’re almost here. We should head to Arrivals now, so we don’t miss them.”

Eagerly agreeing, Jared and Jensen rushed Chris and his complaining Omega out of the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport food court, and to the Arrivals area.

When people began streaming out from the baggage claim area, Jared held up the sign they’d made before heading to the airport.

‘MOSELEY’ was written in big, black block lettering on the sign.

Jensen grabbed at Jared’s jacket in excitement when he spotted a kind-looking black woman carrying a baby seat in one hand and pulling a rolling suitcase in the other. Next to her, a blonde little boy who looked no older than four pulled a smaller rolling suitcase behind him. Right away, Jensen was enamored with the serious looking little boy.

The woman made her way to them then stopped a couple of feet away. “Hello, I’m Missouri Moseley, Child Protective Services, Hybrid Division out of Lawrence, Kansas. Mr. Jared and Jensen Ackles-Padalecki?”

“That’s us. I’m Jensen, this is Jared. Please, no need for last names.” Jensen answered with a welcoming smile, pulling Jared forward with him.

Letting go of the handle of her luggage, Ms. Moseley shook their hands then reached down to nudge the little boy out from behind her.

“You may call me Missouri then. As was discussed over the phone, I’ll be staying with you for the next two weeks to ensure the boys settle in. If all goes well, I am empowered to complete the adoption process and you will be the proud new parents of these two precious boys.”

She then rested a soothing hand on the shoulder of the four-year-old and urged him to say hello. The little boy refused to speak, and instead moved to Missouri’s other side to lay his hand on the baby carrier.

“Don’t mind him, he just has a bit of a protective streak, but he’s really sweet as can be. Jared and Jensen... this is Dean Winchester and his baby brother, Sam.”

 

**||THE END||**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and also if you commented and/or gave kudos. This story came close to stalling out so many times and I'm actually really frickin' surprised that it's finally done!  
> Even after all the anxiety, blood and tears I still had a lot of fun writing this fic. I'm only sorry I couldn't finish it in time for the ABO Bingo Challenge I started it for. :/  
> Oh well, I love the story, and I hope y'all did too.   
> Thanks again and see y'all again on the next fic!   
> xoxo --Jessie--

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are fuel. Let's keep this fic engine running! 
> 
> For updates and news on any of my fics, follow me on **[Twitter](https://mobile.twitter.com/JessieCristo73)**


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